They'll Tear Us Apart
by QueenKittyKat
Summary: AU -A school for 'gifted students' and a society that sets them up on a pedestal; can these special teenagers ever enjoy life like everyone else? Or will society pull them apart into preset roles? Sasuke x Hinata, take a guess at the rest!
1. Meet Hinata

**A/N:** This is my first fanfiction, EVER, so hopefully it'll go over well. As the story progresses, more will be revealed about the world it resides in. Oh, and this is pretty much a story where no one ends up with who they typically do, as I kind of wanted to explore that option, so hopefully someone enjoys it! Don't worry though, they still end up with people they FIT with, at least in this story anyways...

**Disclaimer:** Not sure if I need this or not, but here's to being careful. I don't own Naruto nor any of it's characters, though the story is my own idea.

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><p>"LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO!"<p>

And so it was that with the urgings of Matt Tuck, Hinata Hyuga fluttered her eyes open only to give a tiny groan and roll onto her stomach, pulling one of her four sleeping pillows in closer so that she could cuddle with it for a moment longer. As the song continued to play, the volume on her alarm much to high for her to simply ignore, an arm reached out in hopes to somehow shutting off the damnable contraption, with little results.

She was a tiny thing, one of the shortest amongst all the students, yet here she was curled up with a pillow in the middle of her queen sized bed, with her alarm clock a good six feet from her bedside, laying atop her dresser with the glaring red numbers taunting her, signalling that it was already seven. There was a very good reason she'd moved her alarm so far from her bed, as well as why she used Bullet for my Valentine songs to wake her up. Hinata didn't particularly enjoy getting up in mornings, and it had nothing to do with a desire to continue sleeping. She was spoiled, and she knew it, having a queen bed while most of the other students settled for twins or doubles, and although the larger size didn't necessarily account for it's extra comfort the fact that her father had bought it for her certainly did. None of that helped with the fact that she 'felt' as if her bed was the most comfortable thing in the entire world, and leaving it's comfort was always a difficult thing for her to do.

Why she was spoiled while the others had smaller beds, as well as the rather obvious fact by now that she did not share her dorm room with anyone, both needed explaining. There was also the little fact that the song playing would, in normal situations, cause other's to shout out and demand someone lower the volume immediately. Unlike all the other females in this dorm however, who shared rooms on the second floor, Hinata was given a bedroom off on her own, and for once it was a privilege that was not granted to her simply because of her heritage, in fact the room had been all but forced upon her.

When she'd first come to the Academy and her fellow students had learned of her particularly unique ability to 'read their thoughts' they naturally grew anxious around her. Since then a few of her fellow classmates had learned of her power's limitations, and she'd actually managed a small group of friends, however that did not change the fact that upon first arriving, the students had acted with trepidation and all but demanded she be given the one room further apart from everyone else. She couldn't entirely blame them, as it wasn't so much their thoughts as it was their dreams they did not want read, and the moment she'd revealed that she could in fact read dreams they'd all but freaked out on the extra invasion of privacy. It didn't help her case at all when she tried to explain she could only read dreams that, from what she could tell anyways, happened during REM sleep. Her first ever roommate had freaked out, and since no one else wanted to switch, adjustments were made and she was given a room of her own.

At first the situation had entirely disheartened her since she'd been so easily cast out. She wasn't the only person to suddenly earn a single bedroom however; another fellow student was also suddenly forced to have their own room given there was an even amount of girls in this dorm. Only unlike what everyone first thought, it hadn't been Hinata's roommate to gain that little bonus but one Ino Yamanaka, who gladly took her own room. While some had first complained it was entirely because of her family connections, they quickly learned that Ino had her own terrifying ability that equally earned her some privacy. And it was Ino that had taught Hinata to see her separation as a privilege, for now she shared her room with no one, and could do whatever she pleased for the remainder of her stay at the Academy, which included trading out the previous two twin beds for her own queen!

The song suddenly ended and after a brief moment of silence, started over again, alerting Hinata of her dilemma. She'd just spent nearly five minutes in bed daydreaming! Throwing her sheets off suddenly, she bounded to the end of the bed and hopped down from the four feet rise of her mattress, rushing over to her dresser to immediately turn off her alarm. Without even sparing a moment, she pulled open a drawer to grab a pair of undies with a mostly matching bra, taking a few steps toward her bathroom before suddenly stopping in mid-motion. Lifting up the pair of beige lace thongs, a delicate eyebrow arched up slightly before she gave a tiny growl under her breath. "Ino!"

Tossing the damn things aside, she'd hand them back to her questionable friend later; she turned back to her dresser and procured a proper pair of beige briefs, much more to her liking. Catching a fleeting glance of her alarm caused to give a soft "eep!" as she jumped and turned, dashing toward her bathroom.

After a rather quick shower later, she stood in her underwear in the bathroom with her hair combed out, using a blow dryer to get rid as much of the dampness as she could. She wouldn't have enough time to completely dry her locks, and certainly not enough to straighten it as smoothly as her father preferred, so as soon as most of the moisture was gone, she set the dry down and decided that pulling her hair up into a bun would work better for today. A simple black clip held it all in place as she dashed into her closet in an attempt to quickly find something to wear.

At this point it may be worth mentioning just why Hinata was rushing so much to school, since she had woken at the same time she did everyday, and this certainly wasn't her usual routine. Today was unique in that they would be deciding the pairings for the training camp that was to take place later in the month, and their rather sadistic teachers, at least that was the running theory as far as all the students were concerned, had decided the pairings would be made on a first come first serve basis, and while Hinata had no particular dislike of anyone, she could easily think of a few people she would prefer being teamed up with. At the top of that list, most notably, was her crush for over a year now, Naruto Uzumaki. Though odds were against her, she certainly couldn't give up the chance to spend hours a day alone in training with him; the mere thought sent her face flushing in embarrassment.

As she pulled out and tossed aside pants, she quickly thought that the sudden appearance of the thongs in her drawer might have to do with today, yet shook that thought aside. She'd corner and question her friend later about them, for now she needed something to wear! And then she found them, her Christopher Kane's, a pair of coloured jeans that fit her just loosely enough to remain comfortable, yet fitted to her form so as not to enrage her fashion forward friends. The fact that they were florescent orange was an extra bonus in her opinion as she slipped the pants on, quickly buttoning up even as her eyes glanced about for a top. That search was far less difficult as she quickly pulled out a grey t-shirt, the words 'destroyed by fame' displayed across the front and pulled it carefully over her head, avoiding messing up her hair. She wasn't one to simply run out like this however, there for quickly grabbing up her Donna Karen oversized hoodie/cardigan, she went on the search for shoes.

She paused for a moment, realising her bed was still in its unkept status and sighed at her upbringing. She couldn't just leave it like that, the sheets would get wrinkled and then she'd be forced to sleep with wrinkly sheets, all night! She could just hear Tenten rolling her eyes, and she would have done it so dramatically that indeed, one could have heard the action. So Hinata dashed over to her bed quickly and stood on her tippy toes while she threw the sheets back into place and quickly smoothed them out. Once her comforter was neatly atop, she took a few more moments grabbing hold of all her decorative pillows and tossed them onto her bed. With a slight sigh, she then stepped to the end of her bed and used the wooden steps that made it easier to climb onto her much too high bed frame, and proceeded crawling toward the headboard. As soon as she reached the mass amounts of pillows, she began arranging them properly, indeed getting lost in the tiny action. It wasn't as if it took up all her time, but as her eyes took note of her alarm clock, she blinked and gave a tiny gasp, finishing up quickly. Sliding off the right side, she once again smoothed out the comforter, than glanced around as returned to her previous task of finding footwear.

Opting on her Jimmy Choo biker boots, she swiped up a pair of socks from her dresser and as soon as her pants were neatly tucked into the boots, she was all but out her bedroom door. She needed only to grab her bag, a black leather satchel that would hang loosely from her shoulder, and she was out, ignoring any form of makeup; which in all honestly, was pretty typical for the shy girl. She would apply some lip-gloss on her way out, but only after she had something to eat. A quick meal would have to be necessary as she dashed down the hall toward the kitchen, hoping that some breakfast muffins would still be available.

She was in luck, to a degree, for some oatmeal chocolate chip muffins lay on display in a cute little basket atop the counter, and although she frowned at the calories, she also chided herself for being so concerned over a single muffin. She wasn't a health freak like Ino or Karin, certainly a single muffin wouldn't kill her day, even if it was extra large. Grabbing a bottle of strawberry juice from the fridge as well, she decided the two would have to do and quickly made her way out the side door even as she bit into her muffin. Given her curiosity, she paused for a moment and activated her bloodline ability, the secondary ability allowing her to reach out with her mind reading gift and find the thoughts of her fellow dorm-mates. From what she could find, Sakura wasn't too far behind her, while Tenten didn't seem to care one way or another. Karin was apparently upset over Sakura hogging the bathroom for too long and Ino was still distressed over way to wear. There were others too, the remaining females that also stayed at the dorms, yet from what Hinata could tell only one had managed to leave before her. Good, so far luck was with her!

Eight minutes later found her tossing out an empty bottle in the recycling bin, her muffin long since devoured, and lip-gloss finally being applied to her lips. An orange Tic Tac was quickly tossed into her mouth as she glanced about the hallway, finding it noticeably empty and so wandered about with her head held high, humming softly as she made her way to homeroom. It was only 7:38, leaving her with just over twenty minutes until class began, plenty of time to get herself to class and a good spot on the waiting list.

Now would perhaps be an opportune time to explain the particulars of Konoha Academy, or to be more precise, Konoha Academy for the Exceptionally Gifted, yet who really went around saying such a mouth full?

Konoha Academy was a private institute, naturally only those with special gifts could enrol into the school, yet that wasn't the only thing that made it unique. There were laws set into place from generations ago that dictated how a child born with a special gift was educated, all of which were still followed to this day.

Two ways a child could come about a power, the first being the most obvious, through family bloodlines. Bloodline abilities were the most common, simply because every member of that particular family had said ability, though naturally it ranged in strength from child to child. Bloodline abilities were also unique in that each bloodline usually had two abilities, the more common ability, and a unique to the family only ability.

Every now and then however a child could be born and given an ability at complete randomness, and while those with random abilities did not benefit from the secondary bloodline ability, they were always born with exceptional strength in whatever their unique ability was.

Children born with these special abilities were kept out of public schooling, the preset laws dictating that they be home schooled, and home trained, until the age of roughly 16 when they would enter one of the multiple Academies through out the lands that specialized in furthering their education and training. Naturally, those born into families had the upper hand in these situations, since it was automatically known they would adapt a power, and their education began almost instantly. They were also blessed with an abundance of trainers through out their entire family. It was the children born with random abilities that found the situation worth arguing against, since any child, family born or not, did not come into their abilities until roughly the age of 8, though some children have been known to discover their ability at 10 or even 11.

By then, children with random abilities had already begun public schooling, and were suddenly pulled out; home schooling being thrust upon them, and indeed their parents. Though the government provided funding to compensate, this was not always the biggest problem. The child still needed to find a trainer, and random abilities were just that, entirely random. Often times the only available trainer could be on the other side of the world, and it wasn't always easy convincing someone to train a complete stranger of a child for the next potential eight years.

Whether they were family born or not however, roughly at the age of 16 they were to be tested, and should they pass, enrolled into one of the Academies and moved into the campus dorms, separated entirely by the outside world for the remainder of their training. Some students came late, due to failing of the tests or difficultly in acquiring a trainer. Few students entered early, however it wasn't unheard of. As it stood, there were two students currently attending Konoha Academy that had entered a full year before the norm, one of them being Hinata's very own cousin. Over all however, there weren't many students actually attending this Academy, despite its immense campus size. The campus grounds could easily house hundreds of students, yet there weren't more then fifty students with two dorms each for females and males. Twenty-two female students mingled with twenty-five males, which meant classes were rather small, and the entire curriculum at the Academy was run in an entirely different way then public schools. Instead of grades, they were given ranks, which one could raise up in as little as a semester.

Rather suddenly Hinata found herself hitting a solid wall, a small "eep!" once again escaping her lips as she took a tentative step back and lifted a hand to her nose to gently rub it. "Ow…" came out softly as she wondered just how she ran into a wall. Since when did a wall exist in the middle of the hallway anyways? For that matter, since when were walls hard, yet warm? Lifting her eyes to peer at the 'wall', they suddenly widened as realization quickly dawned upon her that indeed she hadn't run into a wall, but the back of a person. And not just anyone at that, why of all the people to run into it had to be _him_? All she could think was '_Oh no!_' before quickly dropping her head, eyes concentrating upon the wooden floorboards below. She didn't take any time to chance misunderstandings, quickly opening her mouth to utter an apology; he wasn't patient, and certainly not forgiving but most importantly, he'd definitely take this as some excuse on her part for wanting to get closer to him. "I-I'm sorry! I wa-wasn't paying a-attention…" Nervously, she began chewing on her bottom lip, making the recently applied lip-gloss go to waste, and frowning as she'd stuttered just then. Her father had gone through such lengths to rid her of the habit, yet even now when she grew nervous, it still reared its annoying head on her.

'_How proud father would be,_' she sarcastically thought as she heard feet shuffle, knowing he was turning around to face her.


	2. Meet Sasuke

**A/N:** Since a few people reviewed so quickly, I couldn't resist working and getting out chapter two as quickly as possible! Special thanks to Aquilon, probably wouldn't have even got this fanfiction out for another month if not for them lol. Hope you enjoy it. We're changing viewpoints here.

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><p>"<em>Beep beep!<em>"

"_Beep beep!_"

Running a finger over the stop button, Sasuke Uchiha started slowing down with the machine while his left hand grabbed for the towel hanging off one of the treadmills handles. Lifting the cloth up in order to wipe most of the sweat dripping down his face, he patted down a few times before taking a quick wipe of his neck as well. Only then did he toss said towel over his left shoulder and began making his way toward the door.

Silently he slipped out of the exercise room, turning off the lights as he went, and through Kakashi's bathroom, making a beeline for the spiral staircase tucked into a corner of the Master bathroom. It would lead him to the second story without disturbing the still sleeping Dorm Master.

Why anyone would appoint someone like Kakashi as Dorm Master Sasuke still had trouble actually figuring out, and yet he couldn't truly complain. Certainly Kakashi was lazy, and often late for classes despite the fact he slept only a ten minute walk from the classrooms, and who knew how many porn novels he actually kept in his room; not a one of them were daring enough to slip into his rooms and take a look since the moron's first, and last attempt. Even with all those vices, he made up for it in spades with just how laxed he was as far as the dorm rules were concerned.

Only a tiny portion of the dorm's occupants were actually over twenty, Sasuke himself still having over two and a half years to go, and yet there were two fully stocked bars, one per floor. And so long as the Dorm Master didn't 'witness' anything, anyone was more then free to drink at their leisure. Kakashi was under a rather firm belief that stress-free students were far more productive, and although he wasn't exactly one for alcoholism, an occasional drink, or more importantly small drinking parties come weekends, were excused while the Dorm Master typically found reasons to be away during those moments. Again, what he didn't see, he never reported.

Once he reached the second floor, the silent raven passed through the hallway, bypassing four dorm rooms and the large main staircase on his way to his own-shared bedroom. Although he wasn't exactly a loud person by nature anyways, there was an added reason for his silence on this particular occasion, as most of the dorms occupants had yet to even awaken. Onyx eyes spotted the clock on display in a bookcase, indicating it was still a quarter to seven; his obnoxious roommate wouldn't even begin to stir for at least another half hour, and most likely wouldn't roll out of bed until another twenty minutes had passed. That moron spent more time in bed dozing then anything else.

He wasn't particularly careful with opening the door to their room, nor was he mindful about letting it swing shut. Naruto was quite simply a heavy sleeper, and nothing short of tossing the idiot out of bed would wake him up at this early hour. Catching sight of the blond idiot on his double bed, his sheets tossed off to the ground with his body spread eagle, Sasuke paused for a moment while an eyebrow twitched slightly.

Naruto's body was spread out so much that his right arm and head were rolling off the edge of his mattress, and even as the idiot used his other hand to aimlessly scratch at his stomach, his body began to slip more and more leaving Sasuke with two equally unpleasant options.

One, he could let the moron fall as he justly deserved considering his sleeping habits, yet suffer the early awakening of said blond as well as the rant that was sure to follow about how it was his fault for not stopping the fall. Or he could walk over and reposition his body so that he didn't fall off, only to suffer actually helping the idiot. His only consultation was that Naruto was sleeping, and as such would never know that Sasuke had helped him.

Weighing both options, the disgruntled boy softly tsk'd even as he walked over to his roommate's bed and quickly grabbed hold of the loosely hanging arm. Tossing it over the blonds' body, Sasuke reached down to grab hold of Naruto's shoulder and gave it a quick push, rolling him over onto his stomach. "Moron…you need to stop eating so much bloody ramen…." Mumbling under his breath, he let go of the heavier man before straightening and sending a glare down at the idiot's body. Suddenly, said body shifted, causing Sasuke to freeze as his eyes widened slightly. Was he stirring?

"Mmm…ramen…" Arms wrapped around a pillow as a mouth suddenly bit down on the corner and Sasuke simply stood there, stunned at the idiocy that was Naruto. Was that drool dripping onto the pillow? The sight would have caused Sasuke to shudder, if he was the type to ever display such visual distaste for something. Instead he settled for another deathly glare, which was once again ignored entirely.

Finally satisfied that he'd have the next half-hour to himself, Sasuke turned toward his dresser and procured a pair of boxer briefs. After his hour-long work out, a routine that he stuck to every Monday to Friday, he needed a shower to wash away all the sweat. He wasn't a fan of short showers however, enjoying the feel of the water on his body, yet had long ago learned the dangers of rooming with one Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto had no qualms with barging into the bathroom suddenly even if it was already preoccupied; thankfully the actual toilet was in it's own enclosed area making it easier to lock and keep the idiot out. Locking the bathroom door itself however had lead to incessant banging at said door, which Sasuke had naturally ignored. Apparently however, the loud knocks was Naruto's way of being polite, his shouts a mere prelude of what was to come. Once he'd grown bored, he'd simply teleported into the bathroom, catching the raven-haired boy entirely by surprise. He'd been in the middle of showering at that exact moment, but more importantly, at the time he hadn't been aware that the blond COULD teleport.

Without even breaking a beat, Naruto had merely grinned and waltzed over to the toilet room in order to relieve himself; one should add he never bothered to shut the door during this process! Once finished with his business, he walked right on out, having unlocked the door and keeping it opened, yet failing to wash his bloody hands. Sasuke constantly reminded himself to never shake hands with him ever again.

When he'd complained to Kakashi about the invasion of privacy later that very day, the perverted elder had taken a moment to quirk his only visible eyebrow and asked, said eye slowly crinkling in amusement, if Sasuke was so bothered by the intrusion because he'd been 'taking care of business in the shower' as he'd so bluntly put it. Since then, Sasuke had wisely learned his lesson in order to avoid further embarrassment, from said roommate and Dorm Master. Besides leaving the door unlocked, he'd changed his routine in order to be done and out of the bathroom before the blond even woke up.

Thirty odd minutes later, he stepped out of the shower, drying himself off before wrapping said towel around his waist and grabbing another to dry his hair. So long as he got rid of most of the moisture, it would dry by the time classes began, and the natural drying technique would insure that his usual unique spiky hairstyle remained intact. For reasons beyond his understanding, the only way he could not get his hair to fall into such a spiky arrangement is with plenty of hair gel. And considering he wasn't prone to acting like a girl, unlike a certain Hyuga, and wasn't a fan of spending hours working on his hair, natural worked best. Besides, all that work would only manage to get it a little less spiky; he'd long since accepted his natural style. There was also the added bonus that apparently, girls adored the look, not that he particularly cared what girls' thought of him. He had too much going on at the moment to even bother with them much; his life wasn't nearly as carefree as the idiot still asleep in his bed. Yet knowing he was more appealing in their eyes then said roommate always managed to cause a smirk on the usually emotionless face to appear.

A quick look through his closet while he pulled on his boxer briefs, his eyes settled on a pair of black jeans and decided to start with that for now. A black undershirt quickly followed, with a grey horizontally striped sweater getting pulled on overtop. He wasn't exactly one for style, yet he couldn't deny that everything he owned was of high quality and letting anyone borrow any of the items could often times result in a beating. His jeans alone were probably more then all of the moron's shirts combined, a thought that momentarily made him smirk, again.

Pulling up the sleeves of the sweater to his elbows, he reached into a drawer and pulled out his black Luminox watch. He was fully aware that his roommate had his own watch of the same brand, the glaring orange of the digits often annoying him. Sasuke's however was a limited edition Nighthawk watch, and while he actually coveted little of what he owned, the watch was something extremely dear to him, for matters of a personal reason. It was then that he reached for a pair of shoes, opting for a pair of black suede sneakers, and departed from the walk in closet and back into their bedroom.

A peek at the clock on his desk informed him it was now only 7:18, and apparently, as he'd predicted, Naruto had set his alarm to snooze and was sleeping it off some more. Something on his desk caught his attention and as he glanced back he noticed his agenda, which he'd apparently left open the previous night. With a curious frown, which truth be told was no more then a tiny curve of his lips downward, an action typically unnoticed by most people, the boy reached for said agenda to place it into his bag. Pausing, he peered down at a circled date; it was today of all days. '_Why?…_' His eyes widened a tiny fraction; '_Oh right._'

"Oi! Loser, get out of bed, today's selection day!" To emphasize his words, he picked up a pillow off one of the chairs in the room and tossed it toward Naruto's bed, hitting him square on the back of his head, causing a groan to escape the blond. Rolling over only to ignore him, Naruto prepared to sleep further, yet Sasuke couldn't have that. The obnoxious blond had spent the past week hounding him for promises that he'd wake him up come today, yet here Naruto was, ignoring him just as always? That wouldn't last for long.

With a tiny growl under his breath and the narrowing of eyes, Sasuke waltzed over to the moron's bed and proceeded to zap him in the leg with a tiny electric bolt, making sure to keep it as painless as possible.

"YeeOUCH!" The blond suddenly bounded upward, his hand quickly coming out to clasp at his right thigh. "Bastard, what the fuck?" Hn, maybe he'd let more strength slip through unintentionally.

"It's selection day, and there's no way I'm going to spend the next month listening to you complain about how you didn't wake up on time, failing to earn a pairing with 'your Sakura' so get your ass out of bed and get dressed already, moron." He wasn't one to typically speak, usually refraining to just a word or two, sometimes even only a grunt. That was probably why Naruto blinked a few times rather dumbly as if in shock while processing everything he'd just said. Finally a slow silent nod was made in acknowledgement, his mouth still left ajar in astonishment.

"Tsk, I'm leaving." With that he slung one of the straps of his bag over a shoulder and left their room, not even bothering to wait for further reply from the blond. Instead he made his way below for breakfast. And yet as he began to descend he could hear the blond come alive as a rather heated "Bastard!" could be heard coming from their bedroom. Again, he smirked.

Laying his backpack on a kitchen stool, he slipped around the island and pulled open the fridge door, intent on making himself something to eat since he still had so much time. Nothing too extravagant, yet a quick omelette would definitely suffice, some diced tomatoes and green onions being added for extra flavour and nutrients.

As he settled down with his plate, the pan already soaking in some water, and a glass of OJ sitting on the counter within arms reach, the dorm finally began to fully become awake. Guys didn't necessarily require much time to get ready, unless one was Hyuga, and for the most part no one really cared about the upcoming selection, except those few that wanted to end up with their crushes. Getting paired up with a girl would be difficult and would most likely only be given to the first few people that arrived early enough. Personally, Sasuke would rather spend the training camp paired with someone that could potentially further his training, and as such he had hopes for his partner being one of the Families. He hadn't trained much with Shikamaru, though he certainly couldn't see any need in training with the dog boy.

As he finished off his breakfast, lifting his glass to have the last of his juice, a voice in the distance alerted him to the fact that Lee was back from his morning run, something about the youthfulness of the blooming flowers brightening his day. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke went to deposit his dishes in the dishwasher. It was as he put his fork away that he suddenly froze. What if he ended up partnered with Lee? Even spending camp teamed up with Naruto would be better then that, and yet the prospect of spending the entire time, hours a day, alone with the blond sent a shiver down his spine. Suddenly, Sasuke had every reason to get to class before anyone else.

With those fears in mind, he grabbed his backpack and hurried out the side door, intending to beat as many people there as possible. It was on his way that he began to realize the other dangers of letting the selection process go against his favour. What if he ended up paired with one of his fangirls? Certainly there weren't many students at Konoha Academy, yet of the twenty-two females attending, nearly all of them seemed to fawn over him on a daily bases. While some would occasionally calm down for assignments should they have too, he could honestly only name two off the top of his head that outright ignored him as if he was barely worth their attention. Though a tiny blow to his ego at first, he came too appreciate the fact that at least not all women were, quite frankly, insane. A quick glance to his watch revealed it was nearly twenty-too; he still had time thankfully.

It wasn't as if he was frightened over certain prospects, Uchiha's do not get frightened over the mere prospect of unwanted teammates. No, he wasn't frightened in the slightest. Worried however; he could certainly afford to be worried over who he was stuck with. That's exactly why he skipped his usual routine before class, opting instead to head immediately for homeroom.

Trudging down the still empty hallway he couldn't resist the tiny disgruntled sound escaping his lips. Even if the dorms were only ten minutes from all the classes, did everyone truly have to wait till the last minute before showing up? He could understand when it came to people like Naruto or even the lazy bum Shikamaru, but certainly there were others were cared enough about attendance to be here early yes? The lack of human bodies in his vicinity contradicted his current beliefs, leading him to consider the possibility that he should re-evaluate his fellow school mates; it seemed not many were all that caring toward their academics.

"I-I'm sorry! I wa-wasn't paying a-attention…" The soft voice caught his attention, and yet when he peered straight ahead, he couldn't see anyone that could possibly match such a weak voice. The words had been said in almost a whisper, and had the halls been more full he probably would have entirely missed it. He did however spot a scowling six-footed white haired boy turning around as if to face someone, which gave Sasuke every reason to pause.

Besides Hyuga, who was as much of a genius as he was, and Naruto, his self-proclaimed rival, Sasuke had to admit there weren't many others on campus grounds to whom he ever gave more then a fleeting moment of consideration. Certainly not his fangirls, as he preferred avoiding them at all costs. The male student body was rather lacking in many areas, from skill to intelligence in his opinion; technically Naruto fell in with that category most of the time. So he didn't pause because of any personal reasons, nor did his eyes narrow in annoyance because the events unfolding before him had any actual relation to him. It meant nothing too him.

As far back as the boy could remember, he'd been trained and taught that Uchiha's were protectors, their unique and powerful abilities were there to help the less fortunate, and while he rarely saw a need to protect anyone on campus grounds, notably, there was a tiny handful that in his opinion, required as much protection as possible. At the very top of that list was a particularly shy Hyuga girl who had just recently apologized for bumping into someone. She'd inherited an ability entirely unlike the rest of her family which easily made her an easy target for many people. While Hyuga's typically gained Telekinesis, Hinata Hyuga was one of the extremely rare Hyuga's born with the ability of mind reading, or for a more technical term, Telepathy. The power certainly gave her an advantage in many situations, and gained the heiress a unique standing amongst all the Families, not just her own. However, it was also an ability that lacked any offensive or defensive capabilities, and when coupled with the girl's often shy and meek personality, there were a few students that tended to take advantage of the situation.

It wasn't as if Sasuke specifically watched the girl, however she was one of the two who had always all but ignored him and as such, curiosity had caused him to observe. That was all, curiosity. She was more confident in herself now then she had been a year ago, though he suspected that had to do with her blooming friendships.

For reasons beyond his understanding, simply having friends had caused the girl minor changes in personality. Those friends however didn't always keep her safe from some of the older students, especially individuals such as Suigetsu Hozuki, who thrived off teasing anyone. The white haired boy wasn't a bully by any standards; after all bullying was a dangerous thing to attempt in a campus full of gifted children, and especially hazardous when one of Hinata's closest friends consisted of enough strength to alarm the Richter scale. There was also the girl's older cousin, Neji Hyuga, who saw it as his personal duty to see to the girl's safety, whenever he could anyways.

All these barriers however only seemed to cause Suigetsu more interest as apposed to scaring the boy away, and while he'd long since given up to taunting and teasing the girl, his recent actions had veered down a path that Sasuke personally found more dangerous.

It was about some months ago when it began, not so much as the change in Suigetsu, as the change in the shy Hyuga girl. First her character had become slightly more confident. She didn't run away as often and tried to speak up when addressed in the hallways.

The more obvious change came some time later though. Instead of baggy and loose fitted clothes, when she returned from spring break her wardrobe had miraculously changed into form fitted jeans or flowing short skirts. They were by no means scandalous, yet compared to her prior wardrobe the change was definitely noted. She still wore jackets and hoodies to conceal herself, yet they were more fitted now, so that even Sasuke could tell beneath it all she had quite the figure. And Suigetsu had noticed just as early on as everyone else, yet unlike the horny dog boy who silently fawned over the Hyuga girl, the water boy made it a point to harass Hinata nearly every moment he could. It was merely through curious observation that Sasuke had noticed all of this of course.

"Well now, there's no need for you to throw yourself at me little darlin', I'm always more then willing ta hold you." Without paying attention to the girl's obvious discomfort, Suigetsu bent down and wrapped both his arms around the tiny girl, pulling her in for a rather close and tight hug.

Eye twitching for reasons beyond his understanding, Sasuke released a loud grunt, catching their attention immediately. While the tiny girl's eyes widened for a moment, she resumed her attempts to squeeze out of the larger man's arms. Suigetsu however straightened up, lifting the girl off the floor a bit, and turned around enough to get a good view at whoever had grunted. For a moment his eyes widened before a whistle escaped his lips, a grin quickly following suite.

"Is little Sasuke embarrassed by our display of public affection? Aww! My hearts a melting from the cuteness! Who knew you had such virgin eyes!" And just like that, his arms released the girl as she was suddenly forgotten. Instead he bounded toward Sasuke, causing said boy to blink in sudden alarm. Finding arms sudden wrapped around his shoulder caused him to stiffen, and as he looked up at the white haired boy, his eyes narrowed dangerously, remembering the earlier comment as well.

"Suigetsu." His name sounded almost more like a growl at this point.

And along with the growl, his glare seemed to carry another phrase, an important one that Suigetsu needed to listen too. '_Let go.'_ And thankfully for the older boy, he read the message loud and clear, releasing Sasuke immediately. And yet, as it always was with Suigetsu, he brushed it all aside immediately and returned his attention to his previous fascination, or at least he had planned too.

"Aww, you let her run away!" No longer caring for Sasuke, Suigetsu proceeded to look around the hallway, calling for his 'Hina' to come out wherever she was, as if she'd hidden herself in a vase or behind a curtain.

Sasuke suddenly found himself staring at the spot the girl had previously been, and wondered silently how she'd managed to get away so quickly without him even noticing. Surely he would have heard something, there were only two students who could actually slip by him and she definitely wasn't capable of such a feet, right? Yet as he turned around to step into homeroom, the doorway being slightly behind him as he had been forced to pass it in order to intervene earlier, an eyebrow arched slightly upon entering. There she was, seated quietly at the front while her fingers nervously played with each other. _'How did she…?'_ And yet pride would never allow him to admit aloud he hadn't noticed her slip by, and so he wouldn't be able to ask how she'd managed the feat.

With a mental shake of his head, Sasuke decided instead to find a seat and get on with this team selection process. He took note of the teacher in attendance, his prominent scar across his nose signalling him as none other with their homeroom teacher, Iruka Umino. At least he was here before classes began.

As he slipped past the shy girl, a tiny "thank you" barely made it to his ears and he paused for a moment, glancing down as if to verify what he'd just heard. Truthfully, he thought it was entirely his imagination, at least until he noticed the slight tinge of pink blooming on the girl's cheeks.

Smirking, he gave a soft "hn" in response and turned to sit in a chair not to far off. Normally he'd sit at the back, yet he told himself it was because he didn't want to take chances on the selection process that he sat so close to the front for once in his life. There wasn't any other meaning behind it.

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><p><strong>AN:** Just a quick note about the dorms, before anyone gets confused. They're actually pre-designed as mansions, so naturally their layouts will be different then a typical dorm situation. Yes, these brats are somewhat spoiled in how they're all living...blame it on their society. And yes, I actually have blueprints for them, however since they're based off copyrighted blueprints, and given the state of the internet right now, I don't feel safe posting the images to my profile page, sorry.


	3. Partners!

**A/N**: Thanks for the interest I've been getting! I started this as an experiment, so it's great to know people actually enjoy it. Makes it worth while to keep writing hehe. I hope I don't make things too obvious...enjoy!

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><p>"Well now, there's no need for you to throw yourself at me little darlin', I'm always more then willing ta hold you."<p>

Those words sent a sudden wave of fear through out Hinata as she widened her eyes. Yet before she could even react, arms were wrapped around her; she'd barely managed to lift her own up in protest and now stood squished up against the man's chest, entirely uncomfortable. She gave a tiny squeak in protest and went to open her mouth to say more.

She never needed to however, as a grunt was heard from behind her attacker. Her eyes widened yet again, and although she couldn't see over Suigetsu's shoulder, she was suddenly lifted as the large man took her with him, turning around in order to see just who was grunting toward them. Pale eyes suddenly took in onyx ones, yet even as shock over-whelmed her, the need to struggle returned. She didn't want anyone's arms around her, especially not Suigetsu's! The boy was certainly flirtatious of late, and although she found he didn't mean any actual harm by most of his words and actions, they embarrassed her to no end.

'_Besides there's only one person I want holding me like this…._' Her own thoughts made her blush, an action thankfully going unnoticed by the two boys. It was only then that she realized Suigetsu was still speaking, ignoring her struggles. Until suddenly the arms were gone, and she was landing on her feet with a soft thud.

Her eyes widened only to narrow in confusion as she quickly peered toward the two boys, and realization dawned on her. Suigetsu was a fairly good textbook example of ADD, and with the boy's attention currently settled on her raven-haired savoir, Hinata did the only thing she could at that particular moment. She hiked her bag back onto her shoulder and made a point of _quietly_ slipping past the two of them. As soon as she was within homeroom, Suigetsu would stop with his advances, and although she felt slightly guilty for leaving her savoir, someone like Sasuke Uchiha could more than handle the overly touchy feely Suigetsu.

It was only about ten feet that she had to walk, yet she almost giggled in her own mind at the sight she must pose if anyone were to watch. Bag held to her stomach so that it wouldn't cause any unwanted noise and her feet lifted so that she only walked on the tips of her toes, she rather carefully slipped past the two. There were many skills she'd failed at doing while growing up in the Hyuga household, and while she wouldn't normally call this particular skill an asset, becoming invisible and slipping away was almost a gift to her. Quiet by nature, her steps were always soft and her breathing barely even noticeable; Neji had once told her she would make an excellent stalker in jest, around the same time he'd noticed her infatuation with a certain blond. She would never lower herself to stalking him! Besides, it was entirely impossible to stalk someone who was constantly bouncing around everywhere.

Once safely within the room, she quickly made her way for her usual seat in the front row, pausing only to smile and nod at their homeroom teacher. "Ah, Hinata, I see you're here early as well." The comment made her blink as she peered around the room, noticing two other students already seated. Well she wasn't first, and yet that was good wasn't it? How eager would she have seemed had she been first to arrive?

"Hina….Hina!" Her nickname coming from the hallway made her blink, as she peered up momentarily. Suddenly remembering her encounter out there though, she lowered her head quickly, focusing instead on her fingers. While her points pushed together nervously, she couldn't help noticing the nail polish was chipping slightly. It'd be best to keep her hands hidden from Ino or Karin for that matter. Both girls would suddenly demand redoing them, and they were entirely too pushy for her liking.

A simple week spent with her friends over spring break had resulted in nearly her entire wardrobe being discarded and replaced, entirely against her will she might add, by more fitted and 'brighter' clothes. It'd taken all her begging just to allow her black cardi/hoodie that she now wore, and in truth she believed they only allowed it because it was name brand and looked fashionable enough. Personally, Hinata enjoyed it because once she wrapped it around herself, the shape of the top entirely concealed her own figure. She hadn't been so lucky with her other cardigans the girls had made her buy.

And yet despite all the shopping they'd forced upon her, she'd been certain that her father, or perhaps even Neji, would have complained and demanded everything be return. Surely spending that much money on clothes would enrage them or the fact she was showing her body off more might bother them, right? Wrong. It's what she'd laid her hopes on and yet they'd seemed thrilled! Or at least as thrilled as two stone-faced Hyuga's could possibly be. Hanabi on the other hand had practically screamed in joy, proclaiming how she could now 'borrow' clothes from her sister.

Really, what was wrong with what she'd been wearing before? They were all comfortable clothing! So what if most of them were unfashionable and dated, she wasn't attempting to become a model or fashionista! She had to admit though; the orange jeans she now wore made her smile softly. The first time she'd worn them to class, Naruto had actually approached her on his own, exclaiming how he loved the colour! She'd nearly fainted from his voice, and she certainly didn't mind when _he'd_ slung an arm over her shoulders.

Her attention reverted to reality as she heard footsteps walking past her, and a quick glance upward confirmed it was her savoir. As she'd predicted, he'd more than successfully gotten rid of Suigetsu on his own. Dropping her eyes back to her fingers quickly and pressing her lips together for a nervous moment, she quietly chided herself about manners. He'd helped her, she should thank him!

"Thank you." It was soft, much too soft she told herself! He probably didn't even hear it, yet even as she thought to raise her voice and repeat it, Sasuke paused. Wait, was he looking at her? So he had heard her comment then? She felt her cheeks flush somewhat at the sudden attention and completely missed his smirk. The slight grunt he gave in reply confirmed he'd heard and so her shoulders relax slightly. She barely noticed him taking a seat nearby, her nerves a complete mess.

Ino, Karin, Tenten and Sakura's attempts to strengthen her self-confidence were really all a waste in her opinion. She couldn't even raise her voice to utter a thank you to someone who had helped her. There was also the mere fact that she'd required the help when it wasn't as if Suigetsu was a horrible person. Surely one of her friends could have easily stopped his advances.

Such a depressing train of thought caused her shoulders to slump slightly as she let out a sigh and clutched her bag for a moment longer. How could she ever hope to amount to anything, ever hope to confess her feelings or make her father truly proud of her accomplishments, if she still shied away from nearly everything? A new wardrobe didn't amount to a new personality, as she'd chided to her friends so often. At that moment, however, she silently wished there was such a thing as magical clothes that indeed suddenly gave their wearer confidence and strength. Whoever said clothes could change a person hadn't met Hinata obviously!

A piece of chalk on the board caught her attention as she glanced upward; what was Iruka writing on the blackboard? Canting her head a bit, she tried to focus on his hand over his shoulder, yet his body was covering up whatever it was he was writing. Her curiosity only needed a few moments however, as he soon stood aside, turning to face her with a smile of all things. Wait…what?

There was a list written out on the blackboard, of names. And there was hers, third on the list. Peering at the names above her own, everything became clear as she spotted two names beside each of the present students.

"So Hinata, any idea on who you'd like to team up with?" They…they were _picking_ their own partners? Her eyes widened into saucers as a blush slowly crept onto her cheeks. Wait, that wasn't what she thought was going on…how could she possibly choose to partner with Naruto? That would be like confessing to him, and while the option was right there in front of her eyes, it was to embarrassing to even attempt. "Don't worry, we can come back to you. You'll still have first dibs. Sasuke?"

The teacher's attention diverted even as Hinata continued to have a minor internal breakdown. Choosing Naruto would only cause her to hyperventilate for the next month, and while she could pick one of her friends, she also knew their own dreams on which partner they wanted. Could she really make them suffer a partnership with her only so that she didn't have to be so embarrassed? Wouldn't they…be angry?

"Hmm, quiet bunch. Oh, what have we here? I never expected to ever see you here so early Suigetsu, that excited are we?" The mention of her flirtatious annoyance caused her to finally break from her internal struggle as her attention diverted for just a moment. Eyes meeting with his briefly, she couldn't ignore the smirk that was plastered on the boys face, causing her own to drop down immediately, blush once again creeping up her cheeks. Did he always have to tease her like that? The comments he'd thrown toward her may have only been his thoughts, but they were loud and clear to Hinata, who had thankfully tuned them out. She didn't _need_ to know what he thought of her today, or how much he enjoyed her revealed neck.

Unconsciously, Hinata pulled at her cardi a bit, concealing as much of her neck as she could manage.

"Aww, come on teach, how can I give up the chance to get exactly who I want?" There was underlining meaning to those words and even the rather innocent and naïve Hinata caught it; she didn't always have to read someone's thoughts to get such things. Her blush intensified even as she suddenly grew fearful. Wasn't he now next on the list? Confirming her worries, Iruka suddenly turned to the board and began writing the boys name.

"Well then, any clue on just who you want?" Didn't Iruka even understand what was going on?

Chewing on her bottom lip she began chiding herself repeatedly. She was ahead of Suigetsu on the list; she could easily get herself out of this situation by simply speaking up and saying someone's name, anyone's name! Yet why was it that her lips seemed immovable even as her teeth bit down on them? There _were_ only five people here, surely it wasn't THAT embarrassing to speak someone's name. Like Sakura's! Well, no, she desperately wanted to partner with Sasuke of all people and would probably get upset over the forced pairing. Ino or Karin were free, and yet even as she thought the names she knew that all three of them were in an endless battle to gain said boy's attention. Any one of them would silently resent Hinata, and while their thoughts might not harm anyone else she had the unfortunate ability of knowing exactly what her friends truly felt, and knowing would tear her apart. There was Tenten, and while she was sure her eager friend wouldn't mind being partnered with her, Tenten was also a drill sergeant as far as training was concerned. Oooh…it would have been better to come later after all!

"Hinata. I'll take Hinata."

'_Wait, nooo…!_'

* * *

><p>As he stared at his name written on the blackboard, Sasuke mentally frowned. Is this what they meant by first come first serve? They got to pick their own teammate? Well now, that complicated things. It meant he had to actually consider whom he wanted to team up with.<p>

Apparently he wasn't alone in that prospect as Iruka passed over Hinata only to press him with the same question. His response was silence as the raven-haired boy focused on the blackboard and attempted mentally narrowing down the list.

As he'd stated before, Shikamaru was a good option since he'd never worked with the boy before, yet the same could be said for Shino, Kiba and Chouji. Only Sasuke had no desire to spend the entire camp in the company of Kiba, and would he had nothing personally against Chouji, he saw no merit to training with him. He could definitely handle the solitude that would accompany working with Shino, and yet it would do little in his own personal training. This wasn't about whom he preferred spending time with, but whom he could most benefit from training with.

He often worked along side Neji, there for it was rather useless to spend even more time with the Hyuga, and while Naruto definitely offered him a challenge as far as physical training went, it was something they often did anyways. What was the point of more training when he could find his roommate at any point of any day to spar against him? Besides, the training camp situation would cause him to spend hours a day alone in a training room and while he'd said this wasn't about whom he preferred, it still weighed heavily on his choice.

"Well then, any clue on just who you want?" Iruka's voice brought him back to reality and Sasuke blinked once before glancing toward his teacher. Noticing the man glancing away from both him and Hinata, he followed the train of vision, finally taking note that Suigetsu had entered the classroom. A quick glance to the blackboard confirmed he was already on the list, and the smirk that was slowly forming on the white haired boy's face did not bode well in Sasuke's mind.

How could Iruka miss the look Suigetsu was giving Hinata? In Sasuke's mind it was blatantly obvious what he had on _his_ mind, and for a brief moment Sasuke wondered if Hinata knew herself. Being a telepath, surely she had to understand just what the boy wanted from her, right? How did her power work anyways? He'd never once taken the time to ask about it, finding such an ability although intriguing, more of a hindrance in his particular field of expertise.

And yet, curiosity was beginning to bud as he thought back on everything he knew about Neji's ability, wondering how similar they were. He didn't have much time to process those thoughts however, as Suigetsu looked to have made up his mind and the twinkle in his eyes spoke volumes to anyone paying attention.

"Hinata. I'll take Hinata."

….

….

Even as he heard his own voice, Sasuke was stunned to stillness. Wait, why did he just? It wasn't as if he had to keep rescuing her damnit! She could easily get out of the situation by picking her own partner, he didn't need to help her!

Yet had he spoken because he wanted to help, or was it his sudden curiosity for her ability that had sparked the words to leave his mouth before his mind could even catch up?

Apparently, he wasn't the only stunned one in the room as Suigetsu stood with his mouth hanging open, still prepared to speak up. Hn well tough, he was to late.

Hinata had actually lifted her head up, lavender pale eyes peaking at him for a brief moment before they once again redirected downward. Yet in that brief moment, the shock and confusion written all over her face had been obvious. Certainly if Sasuke was one to show emotions he'd probably be mirroring the look the girl had given him.

Lastly there was Iruka, who had been expecting Suigetsu to speak yet now found himself peering toward Sasuke, and for all the teacher knew about the reclusive student, picking a _girl_ as a teammate was something he'd have least expected. Perhaps he'd merely misheard?

Clearing his throat first, Iruka spoke up, wanting to clear up the matter before proceeding anywhere. "Um, Sasuke…you are aware Hinata's ability will give you no defensive nor offensive advantage, correct? You wont…" Trailing off, he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence right in front of the girl, yet it wasn't hard to figure it out anyways. '_You wont gain much training with her.'_ The words hung in the air even if unspoken, and while Iruka hated to belittle the girl's ability, Sasuke was obsessed with becoming stronger, of finding a means to impress his father and surpass his prodigy of a brother. Why would he want to spend training camp with the Hyuga girl?

Which was precisely the question Sasuke was asking himself. He already knew that mind reading would do little good for him, so why had he? Peering toward Suigetsu, and then Hinata, both of whom were frowning in his direction, the boy merely shrugged and played it off with an air of nonchalance.

"I've never trained with her before. As for physical training, Naruto would more than make up for that." He could just hear his roommate shouting and screaming about his chance being taken away from him. Well, that's what he got for still not showing up!

Really, why was it he constantly complained about the blond and yet always relented in the end? There was no way he could possibly consider Naruto his…friend right? No, that idiot wasn't worth his time, as he kept insisting time and time again.

"Uh Sasuke I'm pretty sure you're already aware of this, but training camp is for two man, or woman, teams only." Why was he being so difficult about this? Sasuke had made his choice, couldn't Iruka just accept it?

"47 students." Blinking, Iruka nodded slowly at Sasuke's comment.

"Yes I'm fully aware of the amount of students enrolled in our school Sasuke. What does that have to do with anything?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, at least as far as an Uchiha was concerned, Sasuke lifted up a rather bored expression and directed it toward Iruka. "47 is an odd number." _How can every team be two people if we have an odd number of students?_ The rest of the comment went unsaid, yet the boy stared at his teacher as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

And yet Iruka stood there, blinking lamely for a moment as if he'd entirely forgotten such a fact, yet that was impossible, right? Clearing his throat, he began to nod slowly, almost as if he'd just recalled something important. "As you've said Sasuke, it is an odd number, and yes one person will be left out. Yet that is meant to fall to the last person who arrives as a punishment for getting here so late."

"The idiot will probably be dead last anyways, just throw him in with Hinata and I."

As if finally understanding what was going on, Hinata's face shot up, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red while her eyes widened quickly. "W-what? I…no!"

Did the girl just…refuse to work with him? An eyebrow twitched. Looking toward her, he allowed a frown to crease his mouth while hoping to gain her full attention, trying to stare her straight in the eyes.

"You don't want to work with me?" It was a plain and simple question and far as Sasuke was concerned, he had kept any annoyance out of his voice, letting it roll about in his mind instead. _'Since when has anyone refused me? Damnit, I forgot she practically ignores my existence, wait why do I even care if she ignores me? This isn't about personal feelings but furthering my ability! I could care less what she feels, I just want to train…what the hell is wrong with her?'_

As the girl had turned to face him, opening her mouth to speak, she paused rather suddenly. Mouth shutting, he could actually see her swallowing in nervousness and rather foolishly he recalled what was going on. _'Right, mind reading. Tch, annoying-I just want to get to know your power Hinata. So unless you can speak up, it's either me, or Suigetsu.'_ Her eyes had widened even more, proving his suspicions, yet suddenly she looked away and peered down at her desk. Gah, why was she so…meek? Seriously annoying.

"I…I don't mind. B-but I think we shouldn't f-force Naruto to work with us. He…may show up early. It'd be unfair to t-take away his choice." So her problem wasn't with working with him, but forcing Naruto too? Why did she even care about the idiot's say in all this?

His eyes caught sight of her orange pants, an annoying colour in his day-to-day life and for some reason, even more annoying on her. That's when he remembered, Hinata paid attention to no guys at Konoha Academy, being as sweet as she could be to all of them while avoiding any of them altogether; unless of course you considered Naruto. She was always shyer around her, stuttering furiously and never ever lifting her head to peer at his face. Sasuke suddenly had the sinking feeling that this shy girl had fallen for his obnoxious roommate. Naruto? Why on earth would she like _that_ moron?

"Well Hinata, if you have no problems then I see no reason to keep talking about it. As for Naruto Sasuke, we'll see what happens when he arrives. Who knows, he might surprise you and arrive early." Sasuke wanted to scoff at that possibility. Naruto would struggle getting here on time, let alone early!

Turning back to the board, their teacher proceeded with writing Sasuke opposite Hinata's and thus erasing his name off the list below her; it made it look as if Hinata had chosen to team up with him specifically. That didn't go unnoticed by the girl either, who now sat staring wide-eyed at the board. She was probably questioning herself on just what she'd gotten herself into, and yet Sasuke knew she wouldn't dare speak up against it.

Hn, Naruto over him? Shaking his head, he stood up from his seat and proceeded to the back where he typically sat even as he heard footsteps running down the hallway. Now that his partner was chosen, he no longer needed to remain upfront and for reasons he couldn't fathom, he wanted to distance himself from the pale-eyed girl.

"So Suigetsu, what about you? Have you…oh hi Sakura, Karin. You two didn't run here did you, you know that's danger-?"

"**I WANT SASUKE**!"

Both girls barged into the room suddenly, trying to squeeze through the entrance at the same time and raised their voices, shouting in equally annoying voices, at once. Iruka seemed entirely unfazed by the fact they'd ignored his question, yet Sasuke found himself glad everything was resolved earlier. Why was it that he got the annoyingly loud and in your face fangirls while N-a-r-u-t-o got the quiet, shy girl? Hinata would never annoy anyone with her incessant nagging; of this he was certain. As if to make it all the more humorous, that very same Naruto preferred the annoying pinkette that constantly swooned after Sasuke. If he actually liked the shy Hyuga, they'd make for a rather hilarious love square; best to avoid that ever happening.

As he took a seat and reached into his bag to pull out his laptop, it never occurred to him what all of this would mean to the poor Hyuga girl, who now had to face the wrath of her friends. They were about to realize that their shy little friend, who was never a threat in their hunt for Sasuke, had somehow managed to end up his teammate for the upcoming training camp.

Entirely oblivious to the turmoil of his partner, Sasuke occupied himself with loading up a game of Mahjong before class officially started.

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><p><strong>AN**: Look forward to another character next chapter! And I may be able to squeeze in some power explanation by then, I know people are probably wondering just what everyone can actually do ;)


	4. Meeting Sakura and Karin?

**A/N:** Okay, next chapter! Before anyone even thinks anything, I have no plans what-so-ever to Sakura bash. She may start out a bit rough, but she'll develop eventually and find her rightful place ;) Sadly, this chapter went on longer then anticipated, so power explanations will have to wait till the next one! There's a point where it all fits in. And to everyone whose been giving reviews, thank you! It's nice to hear that people enjoy the story, as I wasn't sure if anyone would. It's a bit slow going, but I don't like rushing things, and don't worry it should start picking up soon now that everyone's finally arriving!

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><p>Princess Bubblegum awoke to the sounds of church bells ringing gently in the distance. The soft light of the sun rising drifted in through her drapes even as songbirds danced just outside her window, all of which greeted her to yet another gorgeous, perfect day!<p>

…

…

NOT!

Sakura Haruno was neither a Princess, nor did she like being referred to as 'Bubblegum', the mere mention of that nickname often resulted in her fist crashing into heads, or stomachs, or walls…rocks…trees…suffice it to say, she got angry, and hit things. Her inhuman strength never made the results pretty.

There were also no 'church bells' anywhere near Konoha Academy, not for miles around anyways. And while songbirds were adorable things, they _sang_, not danced and her windows didn't even have a ledge, they barely opened at all; more like moved ajar from the wall!

No, Sakura didn't awaken to a perfect morning, simply to the same morning she did every darn day, except perhaps that today she'd set her alarm ten minutes earlier than usual. That had allowed her time to sneak over to her roommates side of their shared room and quietly shut off her alarm, before grabbing whatever she needed and slipping into the bathroom. Today of all days, she would _not_ let Karin get in her way.

What she'd forgotten however was how close Karin slept to the bathroom, and the fact that simply taking her shower could wake her up, which is exactly what had happened. Thankfully though, Sakura had locked the bathroom door, and since the closet could only be reached through the bathroom, she'd effectively delayed Karin; she barely noticed herself giggling while washing up.

Her little bit of joy disappeared quickly the moment she stepped out of the shower however, mostly because Karin's banging and shouts had ceased and that could mean only one thing. Her annoying redheaded roommate had gone to shower elsewhere in the house, and with what, ten or so bathrooms in the house, she'd certainly find a free one. Well, she was still locked out of the closet so HA!

Her confidence was dwindling however, and so Sakura quickened her pace. Instead of blow-drying her hair, she pulled it back into a ponytail. Sure it would have looked so adorable if she'd had the time to curl it, but time was NOT on her side any longer. Though she didn't know exactly how the teams were going to be picked for training camp, she had to make sure one way or another that only SHE got paired up with Sasuke.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she dazed off for a moment, remembering just two days ago when she'd caught sight of Sasuke dashing indoors after a light rainfall. The way he'd shaken his head to get rid of the excess water, how his hair had stuck just perfectly to his face…

With her cheeks blushing red, Sakura quickly shook herself out of her self-induced stupor and got on with it. So what if he was a walking Greek statue? If she spent all her time getting ready, she wouldn't get any of that! And Sakura Haruno was anything if not stubborn and determined!

Jumping into her closet, she took as little time as possible to throw on clothes, telling herself to ignore any accessories today. It was the fastest she'd ever gotten dressed, emerging in front of the mirror in less than five minutes in order to pop on some lip-gloss and a bit of mascara. She wasn't heavy into make-up like Karin or Ino, but a bit couldn't hurt right?

Only then did she pause to peer at herself; even if she was in a rush, it wouldn't do to show up sloppy. She still had to impress! Form fitting jeans stuck to her slim figure like a second skin, showing off her cute little bum, check! The plaid blouse she'd thrown on was cute, especially with the sleeves rolled up just slightly, and the green in the pattern played off her eyes nicely, without contrasting with her _pink_ hair. As much as she liked the colour, having pink hair wasn't always the easiest thing to coordinate with!

Grey slouchy boots completed her look, for now, and as she nodded appraisingly at herself her mind shot back to the time and she quickly checked her watch as she pulled it on, 7:28?

"Shit!"

With that single curse, she grabbed one of her cardigans, the hot pink one at that, and went to run out of the closet and the bathroom. How could she have taken nearly 40 minutes in the bathroom? This wasn't how things were supposed to go damnit! She barely noticed Karin standing just outside the bathroom door; said redhead had her hands on her hips, standing there in a towel and was glowering at Sakura, mumbling something about it being 'about time' as she shoved past the pinkette and dashed into the bathroom.

Ignoring that, Sakura grabbed her book bag and dashed out the bedroom. She had just enough time to grab something from the fridge, an apple maybe as her usual grapefruit would take too long right about now.

Apple in hand, she couldn't help smirking even as she left the dorm house. 7:33, and from the looks of it no one was following her, so she ignored the lesson of the tortoise and the hare, and began leisurely walking toward the school doors. It was only an eight-minute walk, giving her plenty of time to chow down on her apple before arriving. A shame though that her lip-gloss would be ruined, but thankfully she had the same shade in her bag; she could hop into a bathroom upon arrival and fix it up.

Which is precisely what she did do, taking an extra few moments to touch up her hair as well, and straighten out her cardigan. Even if it was mid-April, the mornings were still chilly enough to warrant the extra clothing, but by lunch she'd have it tossed into her bag and probably entirely forgotten until she got back to her room. Smiling to herself as she took a little pose, she couldn't resist winking at her own image. "Looking cute Sakura!"

Her happy mood quickly washed away the moment she opened the bathroom door, hearing footsteps running down the hallway. A peek to her left showed a blob of red running not only toward her, but also past!

"Looooser!" Blinking, Sakura cursed as she took off after the blob. Idly, somewhere in the back of her mind she heard a voice reminding her that this is exactly how the hare lost to the tortoise, but getting cocky!

So she picked up the pace, after all Sakura was most certainly faster then Karin, and in better shape. Unfortunately Sakura was also wearing heeled boots while apparently Karin had settled on flats, giving her a tiny edge. Even so, she would not relent!

Reaching out with a hand as she grew closer, her fingers just managed to grab hold of a buckle hanging from Karin's bag and yanked roughly. Her intent was merely to pull Karin back, yet Sakura forgot, perhaps on purpose, that when her emotions were high, her control over her strength was weaker. The buckle came ripping off even as Karin stumbled back a few steps, nearly falling down.

Blinking at her own hand, Sakura spared the poor buckle only a second before tossing it aside and dashing ahead, yet it didn't go unnoticed by Karin.

"You bitch! Ino's gonna kill you for ruining her bag!"

"What the hell are you doing using Ino's bag in the first place? Isn't she gonna kill YOU for stealing it….again I should add!"

"Wha—no! Ino let's me borrow her things! Because obviously, she _likes_ me better!"

"Ha…well you can have Ino, I'll gladly take Sasuke!"

"Oh no you wont, he's mine!"

Their bickering continued even as the raced toward the approaching homeroom, yet by now they were even in both distance and pace.

"Sasuke is MINE!" A foot shot out in an attempt to trip a booted leg.

"In your dreams he is, Sasuke is MINE!" Said boot hopped over the extended foot and attempted instead an elbow to the ribs.

"I don't care, damnit Sakura I want Sasuke!" Hands latched onto the arm and tried to push it away.

"Shut it Karin, I WANT Sasuke!" The stronger of the two was all but dragging the redhead along now as she glared downward. The door was just ahead, and as Sakura latched onto the doorframe, Karin suddenly used her leverage to bound forward. The motion caused them both to crash through the open door at once, even as they both raised their voices to scream once again, in unison this time.

"**I WANT SASUKE!**"

…

…

An eerie silence filled the classroom right after both girls screamed their demands, and that very silence was like a splash of cold water on Sakura, awakening her from her moment of insanity. Eyes widening in shock while her cheeks turned into a soft crimson from embarrassment. This was precisely what annoyed her about Karin so much; while she might get into spats with Ino, it was Karin that always managed to bring out her inner insanity, a side to her she didn't want anyone knowing existed.

A snorted laugh caused both girls to peer toward its source, and spotting Suigetsu made Sakura blink. Noticing he was there made her wonder if anyone else was, her eyes quickly scanning over the classroom. Iruka wasn't much of a surprise, it was his homeroom, and while she arched a tiny brow at Hinata, it wasn't that surprising either. Hinata was often one of the first one's to class, but why was she frowning at her hands, and why did she look even more nervous then usual?

As she scanned the classroom, Karin settled on glaring at Suigetsu. "And just what is so hilarious water boy?"

Eyes continued to quickly scan, taking in two other students before she spotted raven hair and she froze. "Sasuke." It came out as a whisper, and the only person able to even hear her stood right beside her; Karin's head snapped toward Sakura for a moment before following her gaze. Her eyes widened in shock for the briefest of moment, then rather annoyingly to Sakura, Karin quickly reverted to a sly smile as she bounced a bit. Apparently she completely forgot the position she was in at the moment, her hands still latched onto Sakura's own arm, and as such forced the pinkette along with her.

"Sasuke! Oh Sasuke! Let's be partners, kay!" Her demand, even her name-calling went entirely ignored by said very boy, who seemed entirely enthralled with whatever he was doing on his computer. Sakura on the other hand just stood there, slightly shocked. She was never as forward about her infatuation as Karin, and besides fawning over the raven-haired boy from a distance, she never once openly proclaimed how deep her desire went. And yet, thanks to _Karin_ she'd just shouted that before everyone here, including Sasuke of all people! Glaring at the redhead, Sakura finally let her go from their still entwined position, yanking her arm free of Karin's hold and gleefully watched as she toppled forward, forced to flail her arms about to recapture her balance.

Snickering made her glance back at Suigetsu once again as the older boy shook his head. "Idiot…sorry to burst your bubble, again, but your precious Sasuke already has a partner. If you'd arrived oh, a minute earlier, you could have snatched him up yourself. He's all Hinata's though." The smirk on his face seemed to hold more meaning behind it, yet it was entirely ignored as Sakura's eyes bugged out in shock.

"**WHAT?**" Again, they spoke in unison, but while Karin looked at Suigetsu in shock, Sakura turned her attention toward Hinata in confusion. Her shy little friend began biting on her bottom lip and wouldn't lift her head, staring at her fingers as if her life depended upon it. Was that why she looked so much more nervous than usual?

"Now now girls, it's already been settled. And before either of you get ahead of yourselves, Sasuke asked for the pairing." That caught both girls attention as their eyes quickly diverged upon their teacher before glancing toward Hinata, and then finally at the back of the room at the boy in question himself.

'_Sasuke…asked for Hinata? But…why? He never liked training with girls!'_ A tiny fact that made her own attempts to partner with him entirely impossible, yet she had at least hoped that if any girl had a power Sasuke was interested in training with, it was **her**. _'Why Hinata? All she can do was read minds!'_ Momentarily, Sakura was rather thankful said friend wasn't looking upward as she reprimanded herself for her own thoughts. No, it wasn't Hinata's fault Sasuke had asked for her, so she shouldn't hold it against her, yet Sakura couldn't deny the growing envy she felt toward her shy little friend.

Another thought hit her and she suddenly peered toward her teacher, who had turned toward the blackboard to write names, Karin and hers she took note of. "Umm, did you say he _asked_ for her? We…can pick our partners?"

Before Iruka even had a chance to reply, Suigetsu cut in with a grin. "Yup! And it's my turn next, so whaddya say Karin, wanna be mine?" He threw in a wink, as if that would make it all the better, and while Sakura found the current situation hilarious, who couldn't laugh at Karin being teased by Suigetsu? While she found it enjoyable, there was the more pressing matter of partners, who was she to pick?

"Dream on! If I can't have Sasuke, naturally I'm partnering up with Ino!" That caught Sakura's attention.

"Wait, who says you get Ino? She's my friend too!" Were they now fighting over Ino? Sometimes, Sakura wondered how she'd ever get anywhere so long as Karin was in her life.

"The fact that I'm before you says." Karin's smug look definitely deserved a smack, but no, as much as Sakura hit things, and even people, when angry, she did not attack those weaker then her. She wasn't abusive damnit! Just…expressive, and besides her private lessons were helping her temper problems.

It really wasn't _her_ fault her trainer had a temper to rival a volcano, nor that it had unintentionally rubbed off on Sakura; you try spending 7 years under the tutelage of one Tsunade and _not_ have some of her personality rub off on you.

"I'm sorry to say, but neither of you will be choosing her." Iruka's voice broke through the arguing, and with a frown all three peered toward him as he turned, intent on explaining. "There were certain…guidelines we put into place for the selection process. As we stated yesterday, it's a first come first serve basis. However, only the first five students to arrive get the privilege of picking their own partner, everyone else has to pick a name from this hat." Picking up a black hat atop his own desk, Iruka held it up and motioned toward the girls as if to make a point.

And that's when Karin laughed. "Sucks to be you Sakura…Well Iruka, I still pick Ino."

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura glowered first toward Karin, then the blackboard. Indeed, Karin was fifth on the list, but they'd arrived at the same time so it wasn't fair that it went alphabetically! Only, something clicked in her mind rather quickly. Iruka had stated neither of them would get to pick, and a quick glance around the classroom as a reminder confirmed her growing thoughts. Sasuke and Hinata were paired up, but they were also both in class, which meant Suigetsu was the fifth student!

"Idiot…you don't get to pick either Karin." Karin twirled around, arching a brow toward Sakura.

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm fifth on the list, so obviously I get to pick!"

"He didn't say first five on the list Karin, he said first five in class; learn to pay attention, and count." Crossing her arms over her chest, Sakura gave a rather smug look before walking past a befuddled Karin and toward their teacher. "Isn't that right Iruka?"

Although he seemed disappointed with how Sakura had made the very point he was about to make, he did none the less nod his head. "Yes, which is why Suigetsu needs to make his choice, and then you two can pick your names, starting with Karin of course."

Sakura shrugged and Karin hmph'd while Suigetsu found himself contemplating his choices. To continue harassing Karin, only to end up stuck with her for the full of training camp, or pick someone he honestly would enjoy partnering with.

"Eh, Jugo will work; he should be here soon anyways, soon as he's done feeding his damn birds."

"Suigetsu, watch your language." Disapproving of the white-haired boy, Iruka shook his head before approaching the board and writing Jugo's name neatly beside Suigetsu's own. "Now then, the rest of the rules go as follow: pick a slip of paper, if the name isn't already up on the board, then you have your partner. If it is, pick again." With that, he held out the hat for Karin, who didn't waste any time in going.

Sticking out her tongue toward Sakura as she walked by, Karin stuck her hand into the hand and proceeded pulling out a slip of paper, blinking then wrinkling her nose in distaste. "What the? There's no way I can be partnered with this lazy bum, I won't get anything done!"

Quickly peeking over her shoulder, Sakura suppressed a giggle, as much as she could anyways. "Aww, Shikamaru's not all that bad!" Then she stuck her own hand in the hat, shuffling through papers before pulling out her own fate.

"HA! Oh the irony!" That was Karin, shaking her head in amusement while Sakura just stared at the little paper in her fingers, too stunned to react beyond that.

"Well Sakura, who did you pick?" Turning back to the board, Iruka proceeded with chalking down Shikamaru's name while waiting for Sakura to speak up.

"Na-Naruto." Was this fate's cruel way of playing with them? Here she was, partnered up with someone she would rather stay away from, but also happened to be Hinata's crush, and Hinata was teamed with a boy she otherwise ignored yet Sakura entirely adored.

Ignoring the snickering coming from Karin, Sakura turned toward a chair, one right beside Hinata no less, and slouched down into it. Her day was getting worse by the minute. Now she needed only wait until the very boy she was teamed up with showed up and lord knew how excited he'd be over the turn of events. As much as she envied Hinata for being picked personally by Sasuke, she also dreaded what was to come. Naruto's obvious excitement would crush the poor girls heart, again. Did he have to remain so oblivious? She could care less about him, yet in Hinata he'd have the perfect girlfriend! Loyal, sweet, and entirely in love with him!

Hoping this was all some cruel nightmare, Sakura banged her head on her desk in an attempt to wake up. When that didn't work, she settled for shutting her eyes and ignoring the rest of the class. She barely noticed as more students streamed in, as names got called off and people were paired together. In fact, she didn't even notice when Hinata bent forward and attempted to apologize for the situation. It wasn't as if Sakura was purposely being cruel to her, she'd honestly dozed off with her head pressed flat against the desk.

Soft nudges are what brought her back nearly ten minutes later, and as she blinked her eyes open, wondering what was going on, a soft melodious voice brought her back to reality.

"Sakura…class is about to begin." Her head snapped up as she blinked again, peering around the classroom before focusing on Hinata and smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry…I was kinda hoping this was all just…a nightmare." Hinata seemed to understand, as she smiled apologetically and nodded a bit, yet the smile was hindered by her soft giggle that followed. Arching an eyebrow, Sakura frowned. "What?"

Pointing toward her forehead, Hinata lifted another hand to politely cover her mouth as another giggle escaped. "You…you must have s-slept on something. Your forehead." Blinking again, Sakura lifted a hand and ran it along her forehead, her frown deepening as she felt nothing there.

Reaching into her bag, she quickly pulled out a compact mirror and peered at herself. Eyes widening in horror, Sakura peered down at the desk she was sitting at. Whoever had last sat in this desk had taken it upon themselves to draw on the desk in pencil, and while it would be a simple matter of water to get it off, that didn't erase the fact that Sakura now a doodle of their teacher smudged onto her forehead!

Quickly, and rather furiously, Sakura attempted to get the doodle off her skin even as she glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed. Apparently everyone was here, as the blackboard was now littered with everyone's names. No, wait, Tenten was on the board, but there was no name beside her, yet even as she noticed that Sakura became aware of something much more obvious to her. Naruto had yet to come rushing up to her over their partnership, which meant he wasn't here yet. Was he late, again? What Hinata saw in him, Sakura would never understand.

* * *

><p>Shutting his laptop, Sasuke went to slide it back into his backpack, a smug air growing about him. '<em>I knew the moron would be dead last, as always.<em>'

Although he'd spent the last fifteen odd minutes playing games on his computer, he'd also kept half his attention on what was going on in class, idly curious as to what the pairings would result in, and while a few presented mild interest, over all he was satisfied with his own situation.

As if right on cue, Naruto bounded in through the door, arms stretched out as he, once again, introduced himself. "Naruto Uzumaki has arrived!"

His baggy blue jeans and grey hoodie didn't exactly stand out, but Sasuke just knew beneath that rather mundane hoodie must lay one of his roommates horrendous t-shirts, many of which were either in orange, or had that hideous colour for the lettering that was typically thrown over the shirts. It was closets like Naruto that reminded Sasuke of why he allowed a stylist to do most of his shopping; some boys just shouldn't shop, ever. And orange was most certainly NOT meant to be worn every damn day!

"Naruto, how nice of you to finally join us, two minutes before class is about to begin." While most students noted the undertone in Iruka's voice, it seemed to fly right over the idiot blond, who simply grinned as he lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck.

"Aah…sorry about that Iruka, Teuchi was a bit slow this morning." Who was Teuchi? Apparently, Iruka knew exactly who that was for the usually calm teacher suddenly bugged his eyes out, before glowering toward Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki, how many times have we told you not to use your teleportation bracelets to leave campus grounds?"

"Waaah? Ha…what makes you think I left the grounds Iruka?" Nervously, the blond avoided eye contact.

"The fact that Teuchi is the owner of Ichiraku, and we both know that they only operate in town Naruto!"

"Heh, moron." Crossing his arms, Sasuke slouched down into his seat a bit and watched as his blond roommate continued trying to wiggle his way out of detention. It was Kiba that intervened, bopping up to his friend while wrapping an arm around Naruto's shoulder and pointing toward the board.

"Forget that Naruto, look who your partner is!" Well now, this would be interesting. Smugly, Sasuke watched as Naruto's attention diverted toward the board, looking about for his name. When he finally located it, scribbled down beside one Sakura, that idiot's face practically broke in half with the grin he got.

"WOOhoo!" Throwing his arms into the air, he rushed over to Sakura's desk and attempted to glomp her. "We're together Sakura!" Sasuke almost, almost that is, felt sorry for the pink haired girl who was now being squeezed into a hug she didn't seem to want, but as she easily broke free and proceeded in hitting the blond over the head, Sasuke found no reason for pity. In the end, Naruto was learning his lesson, and by the look on Iruka's face, he was about to learn another. Ah, these were the tiny moments that made Sasuke almost want to giggle, but instead he kept his amusement on the inside.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble Naruto, but you won't be teamed up with Sakura."

"Wha-at?"

"Really!"

Both replies came at once, one confused, one almost too excited, while Iruka crossed his arms and nodded slowly.

"Yes. As I stated to everyone else, there were preset guidelines we put into play in order to pair everyone up. The first five students arriving could pick their own teammates while everyone else had to pull a name out of the hat in order to acquire theirs. The one rule I neglected to mention, so that no one would alert anyone and it would remain fair and square, has to do with numbers. As one of you so rudely pointed out earlier…" Iruka paused for a moment, sending a look toward Sasuke who merely shrugged in reaction. "…there is an odd amount of students, and as such one of you will be left out of the pairings. The entire staff agreed that would fall to the last person to arrive, which is you Naruto. So even if you name was previously picked, that choice is null and void."

Turning around to the board, Iruka proceeded in making his point by erasing Naruto's name beside Sakura's.

"But, who do I get paired up with than if not Naruto?" Smiling toward the pinkette, Iruka peered at the end of the list than scribbled Tenten's name beside hers instead.

"I hope you wont mind pairing up with Tenten instead."

"Iruka, that's not fair!"

"Shut up Naruto, that's completely fair! I don't mind at all, Tenten it is!" One satisfied girl and one disappointed boy next and now Sasuke _was_ smirking.

"But…what do I do than?" Even Sasuke was curious about that, since apparently Iruka had thrown out his own suggestion earlier of the group of three.

"That Naruto is what we're about to discuss, now sit down, all of you. Class has officially started anyways."


	5. Powers explained, plans made

**A/N**: Okay wow guys. This chapter is nearly double the length of all my previous chapters, so I hope you're prepared! It also officially marks the end of the introduction arc, so things can FINALLY start picking up now! Yay! I don't typically like taking so long, but the pace was necessary at the start for you to get a feel of the different characters. And yes, Sakura's point of view was also important, you just wont know why for awhile yet ;)

Also, thanks again for every review I get. I'm new to this, so if I don't reply to your review, I apologize in advance. I really do appreciate any little comment someone leaves me though! Even just one makes me smile and makes writing more worth while. Well, enjoy this extra long chapter. I can't say if it's a typical length, or just a special...Also, cause of it's length I only edited it once, so I apologize if anything was missed! It's 5 am, and I don't feel like going through it again! Hehe

* * *

><p>Their homeroom teacher, Iruka Umino, waited patiently for everyone to find a seat, taking note how Naruto took the most time to follow a simple command. When everyone was finally, <em>finally<em>, seated, he turned toward his desk and picked up a stack of papers, proceeding to hand them out to the classroom.

Since he was seated in the back, and would thus have to wait awhile until whatever Iruka was handing out got to him, Sasuke crossed his arms and rather bored with the current situation began wondering if he should follow Shikamaru's lead and stare out the window at the clouds softly rolling by.

Most of his classes were challenging, keeping his entire attention during the course of the 2-3 hour courses, however homeroom was an entirely different situation. Though it was only an hour long, it was _every_ morning, and everyone was forced to show up. He only had two classes with full Academy attendance while most of the rest remained under the 10 students benchmark.

Gym, or the aptly dubbed 'three hours of hell with the green-freak' was the only other class were Sasuke was actually forced to deal with everyone else. It was also the only class that was mandatory, every single term.

Despite there being only 47 students, he rarely saw anyone here, and now that he thought of it, those were the only classes he had Hinata in. How was it than that he'd come to notice her so much?

Even as the question ate at him, the student in front of him turned to hand him his copy of the handout, and Sasuke returned his attention to the moment while taking the paper and keenly peering downward. It appeared to be a schedule for the upcoming training camp, with obvious slots left open for teams to fill in on their own.

"Now then, let's officially get started. As you know, training camp will officially be upon us in two weeks time. For those of you in already good standings, keep it up and you're sure a promotion at the end of semester, but for those of you that are having a rough time, remember this is your one chance to show your true worth. Fail here, and you're looking at a repeated rank, or a possible fallback. Remember, the sooner you kids raise through the ranks, the sooner you graduate." His little pre-lecture given, Iruka paused to peer around, his eyes staring at a few troubled students a bit longer then necessary.

Sasuke idly wondered what Hinata's current position was. She was a Hyuga, yet unlike her cousin, who was gossiped about nearly as much as Sasuke himself around campus, he heard next to nothing about the girl's standing and accomplishments. She wouldn't be a hindrance, right? His train of thought was once again interrupted as Iruka continued.

"Now, before anyone forgets, I want you all to write the name of your teammate, and then take a look over the schedule. You'll notice there's different slots allocated for your training sessions. I'd advise you not to fill up every available slot with physical training, though it's certainly possible. Some of you could very well follow through with such a rigorous routine, but remember, you're on a team and you need to make sure _both_ of you can keep up. These teams aren't formed only to help you with training, but to teach you the importance of teamwork. Yes Kiba?"

"Uh well, I was just wondering…why are these called teams? I mean doesn't a team usually refer to a bunch of people, not just…two?" For once, the dog boy gave a valid question, as a few other students nodded along. Sasuke merely peered forward, curious about the answer. Iruka paused for a moment before his eyes fell upon Naruto and he smirked. Wait, Iruka was…smirking! And Naruto visibly gulped.

"That Kiba, is an excellent question, and is precisely what Naruto is here for."

"Wh-what do you mean Iruka?" The blond was definitely feeling nervous now it seemed.

"As punishment for arriving last Naruto, you're officially the 'floater'. While everyone else will have a set schedule and will naturally fall into a routine with their partner, you will be moving from team to team, randomly popping in during their training sessions and joining along. And before anyone complains, there's a perfectly good reason for this." Despite his insistence, Naruto still groaned at the prospect of what was to come.

"Every one of you is training here with the intent of eventually joining into the Bureau, and whether you enter the Espionage division, Field Operatives, decide to work in the Main HQ, or one of the many other area's, you'll all have one thing in common. Teams. And while these teams are often formed in order to bring out each individuals abilities, you wont know your partner right off the bat. Getting to know them, and learning how to work alongside them, isn't something we can exactly teach you. However, this training camp will be a bit of an example of what is to come. As for Naruto's role, consider him the new transferee, showing up out of the blue with barely any notice. For some of you he'll show up at the beginning of your sessions, only to leave as soon as you get a routine down set. For others, he might not show up until the end, suddenly throwing your routine entirely off, yet you'll still have to integrate him into your group and make sure everything continues to go smoothly. This will be counted heavily against your over-all evaluation."

Iruka paused for a moment as he watched understanding wash over most of the students, resisting the urge to chuckle as Naruto began flat out pouting; the boy was not looking forward to the constant moving around, and more than that, the increased workload.

"Despite his reluctance, we're actually lucky Naruto will be our floater. This is meant to be a training session and there's really only two students here who could easily mesh with any team and keep the training running smoothly." While most didn't seem to understand, a few heads turned around to peer back toward him and Sasuke tried not to scowl. Like he wanted to run around helping everyone else out! Tch, he was here to help himself, not them.

"Now comes the important part, your homework for the next two days. You're to spend time with your partner and discuss each other's ability, as I'm sure most of you aren't fully aware of the exact limits of your teammates. Take notes if you must. Figuring out your schedule is also a requirement." As he paused, possibly to take a breath, Naruto interjected.

"But teach…how am I supposed to meet with everyone in the next two days?" Frowning toward him for his untimely interruption, Iruka tried not to openly sigh.

"Naruto, how many times have I told you to stop interrupting me."

"Sorry…"

"As for your question…you wont. Part of your punishment is knowing nothing. You're to go in as blindly as possible, that is to say not a one of you are to meet with him from this point on and give him any further details on your abilities. Doing so will result in deductions in your scores at the end of Training Camp, and don't think we wont find out." He held a firm look while glancing over the classmates, even as Naruto squawked about how unfair that is.

"As for what Naruto's abilities are, we'll now take the next few moments to discuss that."

"Wait, wha? But Iruka that's totally unfair!"

"Naruto! Stop interrupting me and learn to raise your hand! And the only reason I've decided to inform them is because you broke Academy rules by leaving campus grounds without permission or supervision! Learn to live with the consequences of your actions; this is what happens when you break the rules. Now, can anyone tell me what they do know about Naruto's unique ability?"

While Naruto sulked, a few hands shot up. Sasuke wisely kept his down, not wishing to speak up and idly curious what anyone else had deduced about the blond.

"Ah Neji, why don't you fill us in on what you know?" Tch, of course Hyuga would raise his hand, the brown noser.

"Naruto stems from the Uzumaki clan, who have the unique ability to seal items, or infuse qualities into other otherwise common objects. They're also the only people who can unlock these objects, bringing forth the sealed item, or calling upon the infused quality." Iruka blinked a bit even as Neji finished with his textbook definition.

"Uh, yes…nicely done Neji. To clarify for anyone else however, what Neji was referring to when he spoke of infusing qualities, is the Uzumaki's ability to duplicate another's ability and 'store' it into an object of their choosing. This allows them to there for call upon that specific power at their leisure, though it should be noted that depending on the strength of the individual creating the object, the strength, and indeed lifespan of the object is rather limited. I can assure you however that Naruto has an abundance of such sealed items, with a range of unique abilities, making him quite the formable sparring partner. None of you will have it easy when he comes along." That comment seemed to spark something within the blond, who suddenly straightened and began grinning. It was a look Sasuke didn't particularly enjoy, for it typically preceded pranks of a magnitude that left the raven-haired boy wanting only to inflict complete and utter pain upon his blond idiotic roommate. What was he planning now?

A hand suddenly shot up and Iruka nodded, letting the student in question speak up. Sasuke momentarily tried to recall their name, yet nothing came up; must not be important.

"If they have limited usage, how come he keeps using his teleportation one so often?" Heh, the moron; soon enough he'd blow his cover. Iruka merely shrugged at the question.

"There's no telling who made it, and from what I've heard, the Uzumaki Matriarch is quite a powerful woman. I wouldn't think it impossible for her to create one that could last for years."

It was a likely theory, yet Sasuke knew for a fact it was complete bull. Naruto didn't even own a teleportation bracelet, as he never required it to teleport. The moment Sasuke had discovered this though, and pointed it out to Naruto, he'd been convinced to remain quite. Apparently there were reasons behind Naruto's deceit, and while Sasuke was curious as to _how_ the blond was born with _two_ entirely different abilities, he had no desire to rat him out either. If it was a family secret the boy wished to keep, Sasuke wasn't one to reveal it to everyone else.

He would however, before graduating, figure out how it was that his moronic roommate came to be born with both the Uzumaki bloodline, as well as an equally strong ability to teleport at will. As far as their genealogy lessons taught them, bloodlines were dominate, and while it wasn't unheard of for a weak bloodline to suddenly start sprouting random abilities; one brings to mind Tsunade as an example, it was completely unheard of for a child to be _born_ with _two_ equally powerful abilities. Sasuke would find out Naruto's secret. It was why he didn't fight to have a new roommate, and allowed their interactions to continue; curiosity was a powerful thing, yet also dangerous.

Accepting Iruka's explanation, class continued on with further announcements, and before anyone could complain too much, it was also let out when their hour was up.

"Don't forget to follow through with your assignment and meet up with your partners!" Calling out to the students even as they started filing out, Iruka returned to his desk to gather up his own things.

Having an hour until his next class, Sasuke folded up his sheet and slid it into a front pocket in his bag before standing and lifting it onto his shoulder. He wasn't certain of Hinata's schedule, but hoping she had free time now so that they could get it out of the way quickly, he glanced toward the front of the class. His intention however was completely stolen from him as three girls suddenly converged upon the poor dark-haired girl and dragged her out of class.

Arching a brow, Sasuke gave his head a slight mental shake. He'd never understand girls, nor did he particularly want too, but honestly what had that been all about?

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Hinata managed to finally sneak away from her friends, yet found herself emotionally exhausted. Their questions had ranged from outrage to pure jealousy, and although they'd finally calmed down and accepted the idea that she would be training with Sasuke, that didn't help Hinata in the slightest. Somehow they were now under the impression that she could…spy for them? Karin had even suggested she sneak a camera with her to steal snapshots of him, honestly!<p>

With a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping forward, she trudged along while her mind now faced another problem. The girls had ushered her out of class so quickly she didn't have time to speak with Sasuke, and since she had no clue what his schedule was, she also had no idea when they could possibly meet up. There was the obvious answer of asking one of her friends; surely their stalking habits meant they knew his schedule down to when the poor boy went to the bathroom! She could ask them, yet she was tired enough that she decided to opt for a safer route.

She'd simply have to find him and ask! A glance at the time however told her that searching would have to resume after her Calculus class; at least none of her friends could bother her for the next three hours.

* * *

><p>Plopping down on a bench, Sakura set her bag aside and let out a slow rather depressed sigh. She hadn't meant to give Hinata the third degree, yet with Karin and Ino along for the ride it was far too easy to loose herself in their antics. They'd all calmed down, yet now Karin was almost as excited as if it was herself teaming up with Sasuke; she was already planning to shop online for a concealable camera. Honestly.<p>

Shaking her head, the pinkette entirely missed a girl with dark brunette hair tied up in two neat buns on either side of her head approaching her. She remained oblivious until the brunette spoke up, jumping down beside Sakura on the bench.

"Hey teamie! Up for some power talking?"

Jumping slightly in shock, Sakura peered toward her left and slowly smiled. "Hiya Tenten. Yeah sure, I'm free for the next two hours anyways."

Tenten grinned with an ecstatic "sweet" before she glanced around to insure no one was able to eavesdrop. Pulling up her legs so that she could cross them, Sakura couldn't help but grow slightly envious of what her friend was wearing. A grey oversized sweater with a pair of matching leggings looked so comfortable, and the skinny sneakers gave the girl a feel of going to an exercise lesson instead of spending a day at school.

And yet, that was how Tenten usually was dressed, in casual leisurewear, never bothering to worry about fashion. Her argument against people like Ino and Karin was that they were so small in numbers, and so close knit, that she didn't see a point in dressing up for anyone here. Sakura often wondered just where her friend gained her confidence from.

"Okay so, who should go first?" Blinking back to reality, Sakura smiled before pointing a finger toward Tenten.

"Why don't you, because honestly I don't know all that much about what your ability is, while mine is pretty self-explanatory."

Smiling, the brunette nodded a bit before making herself a tiny bit more comfortable, shifting so that she was facing Sakura better.

"Alright, well you know how every ability has two degrees right? The basic ability we all learn on instinct, and the more difficult to grasp one that also is typically our more powerful one as well. Well, my basic is just that, extremely basic. I can hit any target, no matter the distance, with anything I throw at it." She wasn't even smiling while saying this, as if she herself wasn't entirely impressed by what she could do. Sakura meanwhile nodded while ingesting the information.

"Even around corners?"

That was when Tenten gave a tiny grin. "Yeah, only that isn't really because of my basic ability, but a slight offshoot from my second ability. That one though, takes more explaining…umm…" She paused, searching for the exact words to use as her eyes glanced around.

Sakura had taken it upon herself to sit outside under one of the many tree's that were scattered all over the campus grounds, and from where they were seated they could see other people idling around as well. As if it suddenly gave her an idea, Tenten grinned and bent forward, reaching for a tiny rock from the pebbled path below. As she straightened, she bounced the rock in her hand a bit.

"Here, how about I just show you instead. Keep an eye on the rock, kay?" Curious, Sakura nodded and watched as her friend pulled her arm back, ready to take aim.

She threw the rock oddly enough, at a tree branch. It was only then that Sakura noticed the squirrel idling on the branch, the rock just barely missing it as it bounced off behind the tiny creature. It was however enough to scare the little critter, who took off down the branch in a scared frenzy.

As the rock seemed to simply fall to the ground, Sakura found herself watching the squirrel instead, who continued to run until it ran out of branch to run on. That's when it suddenly jumped, landing on a mop of brown hair, which Sakura noted as she paid closer attention, belonged to Kiba. As Kiba freaked out at the creature suddenly scrambling through his hair, he began running around wildly, his pet dog barking wildly and attempting to jump up the poor boy to get the critter himself. He never noticed the tiny flock of birds that were enjoying a small puddle of water in the grass, scaring them into taking flight rapidly in the air. He did notice the water though. How could he miss it as he suddenly slipped and fell onto his back, hard.

With wide eyes, Sakura peered back at Tenten, but found the girl smacking her arm gently and motioning to keep watching. Unsure of where to watch, Sakura noticed Tenten's finger pointing to the birds that had taken off. They had all rested on a branch, save for one who swooped around a bit before…Sakura's eyes widened in shock as she witnessed the bird take a crap, but what had her eyes wide was how the bird had managed to perfectly aim itself over the head of another boy who had been laughing to his hearts content over the situation that Kiba found himself in.

As she watched him freak in disgust, Sakura quickly noticed it was Naruto. As the rest of their friends started laughing at the both of them now, she also noticed that the squirrel was long gone, Kiba soaked and groaning as his dog was barking up a tree trunk; she should probably learn the dogs name sometime, but never really was all that close to Kiba anyways.

Peering slowly back to Tenten, her brows furrowed together in confusion. "There's…no way that was all you." Her friend beamed, pride seeping into her eyes as she did her best not to giggle or laugh at the scene she had caused.

"That…is my second ability. Don't ask how it works, I couldn't explain it if I tried, but I can…see cause and effect, literally. Somehow, I can see exactly what would happen if I throw something at an exact angle, and I just…know how it'll end up."

Flabbergasted, Sakura's jaw dropped for a moment as she let that explanation sink in. Then denial surfaced as she slowly shook her head. "No way, there's no way you could have known that the bird would crap on Naruto! I mean, that's entirely…seriously?"

Tenten giggled once again while nodding slowly, her shoulders shrugging afterwards. "I can't explain how I knew it would, like I said even the scientists that investigate our abilities say no one knows _how_ it works, just that it does. Right now all I can see is small things, like the path of a rock or something. My trainer though, she could see how a button could destroy a bridge." Gawking at her, Sakura wasn't entirely sure she should believe that story. Tenten laughed. "I'm serious, she showed me once! It was an older bridge that needed to be demolished, but the town didn't have a whole lot of money to do it the typical way, so she said she'd help out. No one got hurt, and any damage done was to old beat up things no one wanted around anyways, but in the end the bridge was down and all she had to do was toss a button at a car."

Letting all that sink in, Sakura remained silent for a moment as she tried to image just what an ability like that could accomplish. Truthfully, her mind went into overdrive with just _what_ Tenten could eventually do. I mean, wow….

"That's so…cool! You should go into the Espionage Division with that ability, I mean just think what you could do, and no one would ever even know it **was** you!"

Blinking once at first, Tenten blushed, actually blushed! Then smiled toward Sakura. "Actually, that's exactly what I want to go into."

Laughing a bit, the pinkette went to hug her friend. "Good gawd Tenten, I almost wish I had your power! I mean, no one would image you as being a threat, but just imagine what you can do…you're like a perfect spy or silent killer. Gah, mine is so not something I can just hide." Sitting back, she shook her head a bit. Sure her power was strong, but that's just it…it was _strong_.

"What? Oh come on Sakura, you can punch anyone in this school practically across campus grounds. How is that not cool?"

Smiling a bit sheepishly, Sakura shrugged. "Sure, but it'd also kill anyone I did that too. It's not like everyone's built with super human bodies, so I can't really fight anyone besides my trainer, and since she's not around…I'm at a standstill right now." Her shoulders slouched a bit, and while watching her Tenten began chewing on her bottom lip in thought. Then something did hit her and she poked the pinkette in the arm.

"Well, what about your second ability, what's that do?" She honestly was curious, how could you make super strength even more powerful?

Suddenly brightening up, Sakura peered around quickly before bending forward to pick up her own rock. This one was a bit larger than Tenten's, and instead of throwing it she shuffled down the bench a bit and placed it down between the two of them. Lifting her eyes to peer at her friend, she smiled shyly.

"Okay, so I'm really not good at controlling this, and it'll probably take me ages till I can even use it for anything besides training, but here." Concentrating on the rock, she shifted upon the bench so that she could put her hand behind the rock, leaving about five inches of space between her hand and said rock. Then her fingers curled up as if she was going to flick at something, yet all that lay before them was air.

Pressing her lips together, Sakura's eyes narrowed as she concentrated on…something. Rather suddenly, her fingers flicked, and again all they flicked at was air. Only there was a shift in the air she flicked at, almost like a tiny wave went through it, and as the all but invisible wave moved outward, it collided with the rock and suddenly threw it five feet out, where it landed soundlessly in the grass.

Gapping, Tenten stared at where the rock had landed, then back down at the bench and finally, up to Sakura's face. "What…the fuck was that?"

Sakura giggled a tiny bit as her hand went to shyly play with her hair. "Well, I have super strength, right? Only when I learn to concentrate it, somehow I can…hit things normal people can't. Things we can't even see." She was purposely avoiding revealing the obvious, wondering if Tenten would figure it out herself.

The brunette with twin buns sat there, her eyes crinkling up as her face showed a look of extreme concentration, as she replayed what had just happened over in her head, again and again.

And again.

They say thirds a lucky charm. Her eyes suddenly snapped wide open. "Holy shit, you hit the AIR!" Nearly screaming the word, it caused Sakura to freak out suddenly as she clasped hands over Tenten's mouth, softly quieting her.

"Shh, Tenten I don't really want people to know that. And it wasn't really the air, so much as the molecules." Only when she felt her friend wouldn't shout out again did she release her mouth, sitting back down on the bench.

"What…well why the hell not? Sakura, that's totally sweet! I mean, can you attack other kinds of molecules too? Like water and stuff?" The pinkette however frowned slightly.

"Yeah, when I get good at it, but right now what I just showed you is about all I can do, and I don't wanna tell people when I can't even show them much. I know it's stupid, but I'd rather be good at it before letting people know."

Tenten however shook her head slowly. "Nah, it's not stupid. I kinda get where you're going with this…" Trailing off, her eyes began to widen while her lips curved into a rather wicked grin. "Oh we are so training our butts off during training camp! I wanna see you get better at that!"

Her eyes popping out slightly, Sakura just stared before laughing softly and let Tenten go at it.

"Okay, so this is what we're gonna do…."

* * *

><p>Hinata shuffled down the hallway, her eyes glancing at every door as they opened, wondering if Sasuke would pop out of any of them suddenly. She'd been wandering for the last ten minutes, thankful for her class finishing early. Only now she'd yet to find the boy and she was running out of idea's where to look.<p>

Giving up, she decided to return to the dorms and have lunch at least; she could continue her search afterwards, at least until her next class at one-twenty.

Stepping out into the courtyard, she made her way across the paved grounds as she began wondering what to make for lunch today. Since she'd cut her breakfast so short earlier, she was feeling hungrier than usual now.

"Hinata."

Her name in a voice she barely recognized made her stop instantly. It was deep however, and huskier than Naruto's could ever be, yet oddly she didn't find that a negative.

Turning curiously to see who was calling her, her eyes widened in slight surprise. "Sasuke…I w-was looking for you earlier." She dropped those eyes to the ground almost instantly and tried her best not to nervously shuffle her feet. Wait, why had his hair looked wet? Her eyes peeked upward through her bangs, curious if it had been her imagination. Indeed, his hair was slightly damp, parts of it sticking to his face, which was also slightly flushed.

That's when she took in his clothes as well and her eyes widened in realization. He wasn't wearing the same clothes he had on earlier, but instead a pair of sweat pants and a workout shirt. Gym class wasn't today, so why was he working out? She didn't notice him arching a brow, nor that he was watching her curiously.

"You where? Sorry, I was in one of the simulation rooms." Eyes widening, Hinata couldn't resist locking her eyes on his face now. Normally she avoided lifting her head to look at people, but what he'd said shocked her.

"B-but…we're not supposed to use those until we're Chu-nin" She stumbled upon the term, her eyes widening even more, if that were possible, as pieces fell into place. His smirk was all the last bit of clue she needed.

"I'm surprised; everyone else already knows my rank. You really couldn't care less about me huh?" Why…why was he talking so much? Everything she knew about Sasuke, which honestly wasn't much beyond what her friends continued to gossip about, pointed to him being a secluded and quiet boy. He especially didn't talk with girls. Almost as if he had read her thoughts, his smirk remained, but his shoulders lightly shrugged. "No point keeping my thoughts to myself, you'll just read them anyways right?"

Embarrassed, Hinata dropped her eyes to her feet once again as blush crept up her cheeks. This time, she did catch the sigh he let out.

"…look, I need to take a shower. When's your next class? We should meet up soon to do our homework."

Fumbling over her response, Hinata chewed on her bottom lip nervously. Why was it that what he'd said had bothered her so much?

Inhaling slowly, she finally found her voice again. "One-twenty."

"Ah. How about we meet up at 12:30?"

Hinata gave a tiny nod in acceptance. She expected him to say more, but as she heard his footsteps walking away, her head snapped upward.

"Wait! Uh-um…where are we meeting exactly?" Sasuke had stopped at the first word out of her mouth, turning toward her with a grin playing over his features. The look made Hinata freeze; okay, so maybe she was in love with another boy, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate good looks when she did see them. She simply saw no point in fawning over it like her friends. However when Sasuke turned and gave her that specific look, her stomach did a silent flip.

No boy should be able to give that look, and certainly not to girls! Okay wait, that sounded wrong, since she obviously didn't want him giving them to boys. What she meant was….argh! He was driving her insane in her own head and all from one look, one little grin that maybe touched his eyes and maybe made her blush, a tiny bit. Maybe. And then he had to chuckle, a sound so deep and rich her eyes snapped wide open as her heart skipped a beat.

Seriously, Naruto was the only boy for her. She loved him, adored his smile and laugh above all things. Yet the blush she had when Naruto laughed wasn't at all like the fluttering she felt at this tiny chuckle. She didn't have time to think on it though, as he spoke finally.

"I was wondering if you'd speak up and ask." Wait, he walked away on purpose?

Frowning, her eyes narrowed a tiny bit as she began pouting. Now he was teasing her? Since when did Sasuke even tease!

He chuckled, again! And she'd be damned if that made it all okay.

"You know, you should look people in the face more often; I'd have never imagined you have so many expressions." He turned again and started off. Before she could snap to it and open her mouth in complaint, his voice trailed back to her. "Meet at the café. That way I can grab lunch."

Leaving her speechless, Sasuke casually walked away. She assumed he was heading back to his dorm to change, but as he walked off, Hinata merely stared ahead. What had that all been about? Why had she reacted that way to his look, or better yet his chuckle? Was that why everyone followed him around like he was some sort of walking Greek God?

She'd never lower herself to that but she did, if only a tiny bit, understand just why her friends were so infatuated with the man. He definitely had a way at getting to a girl.

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes later and Sasuke was entering the school café, peering around to see if he could spot the short, dark-haired girl he was set to meet here.<p>

After taking a shower to wash off his training session, he'd gone for an entirely new, and clean outfit. Sure he'd only worn the first outfit for little more then 3 hours, however Sasuke wasn't one for putting on clothes that had already previously been worn. Okay, so many he had a tiny case of OCD, especially when it came to being and feeling clean.

He choose to wear a pair of black trousers instead this time, pairing it with a white t-shirt and a light grey zipper hoodie, though he did wear the same sneakers as before. When his mother and their family stylist had first returned with the newest additions to his wardrobe over the winter break, he'd honestly questioned some of their picks. The hoodie he was currently wearing looked plain, cut to fit closer to the body as opposed to the typical style teenagers wore, and the trouser pants didn't seem all that special. Reluctantly however, after wearing them, he had to admit they were…comfortable. No way he was going to say they were soft and he liked how it felt against his skin. No, they were comfortable, and that's all that mattered.

Even he had slightly gawked at the price tag for his pants though. Who spent that much on a pair of, well…pants! Apparently, his mother did. That was also around the time Sasuke stopped questioning her on how much she spent on his wardrobe. Mikoto Uchiha adored her sons, and since they'd grown out of the stage of hugs and kisses, she flowered them with affection in whatever ways she could get, including shopping for them. Sasuke didn't really care, he spent all his time at the Academy, or doing side jobs for the Bureau, so shopping wasn't exactly missed greatly.

Stepping up to the counter since Hinata had yet to arrive, he didn't even bother with peering at the menu and instead ordered his usual.

"I'll have a tomato soup with a tuna sandwich. Oh, and I'll have a Triple Death." Caffeine; he definitely needed his daily dose, having skipped out this morning so that he could get to class early. The woman behind the counter, Saya her nametag read, smiled while taking his order, then motioned him to have a seat after he finished paying at the cash.

Since Konoha Academy had so few people here, a fully staffed cafeteria would never be fully used, especially if you consider the full kitchens each dorm house had. Instead, the Academy had opted to build a small café that offered a variety of quickly made meals, most notably their sandwiches and soups. It wasn't for either of those however that Sasuke enjoyed this particular café. Their coffee's were masterful, which was to be expected with how well trained the barista was. If he'd miss anything when it came time for graduating, it'd be the coffee.

As he sat and waited for his order to arrive, the door opened as a soft chime resonated through out the shop. Peering toward the door revealed a slightly flustered Hinata who glanced around before her pale eyes fell upon him. Acknowledging her with a nod, he assumed she would go order her own meal before joining him, yet instead she approached the table with her head once again hanging down. He really did have to get her to stop doing that, it was annoying to deal with it all the time.

"I'm s-sorry. Karin held me up."

Karin…Karin…something told him he should know that name, yet instead he arched a brow, which she didn't noticed with her head hanging down!

"Aa."

Silence filled the gap between them. While Sasuke normally preferred the silence, she shouldn't be just standing there, they had limited time to get this over with.

"Order your lunch…yet?" As if an afterthought, which it was, Sasuke threw in the tiny word so that he wouldn't seem too rude, which was entirely unlike him. Since when did he care about being rude? Besides, the word didn't help at all. He'd seen her walk in and come straight for his table, of course he knew she hadn't ordered yet!

Yet Hinata lifted her head for a brief moment, blinked and smiled while shaking her head and quickly ran toward the counter. Either she over looked the stupidity that was his question, or she hadn't realized it. He hoped it was the first, not wanting his rash choice this morning to turn out being a problem.

A few moments later Hinata returned, setting her bag on the back of the chair opposite him before settling down herself. Peering at the kitchen doors, Sasuke noted it would be a few more moments before their meals arrived, but thankfully he spotted Saya approaching with his coffee. As she set it down before him, she smiled toward Hinata in apology.

"I wasn't aware you were sitting together, so I'll be right back with your drink Miss." Watching as Hinata lifted her head toward Saya, he noted the blush that suddenly exploded upon her cheeks. Now that was odd.

"I-it's o-kay, r-r-really." She dropped her eyes back down to the table quickly as Saya walked away with an odd smile, presumably to prepare the girls drink.

Lifting his own to take a sip, Sasuke took a moment to enjoy its extra strong taste. Keeping the cup in hand, he let his eyes wander across the table toward the shy girl and arched a brow.

"So, would you rather start, or shall I?"

She moved her head slightly, enough that her bangs brushed aside giving him a momentary view of her eyes. She wasn't even looking at him, focusing intently on the tableware, and it annoyed him to no end. Who went around never looking people in the face, seriously?

"If you could p-please."

Not really minding, Sasuke nodded, even if it wasn't seen, and took another sip of his drink. He made it last longer, letting Saya return with Hinata's drink and arched a brow as the Chai Latte was set on the table before her. Waiting until Saya was away he set his drink down.

"I suppose since you're also a Bloodline, this makes things easier for me. Naturally, you know how Bloodline abilities have an extra edge over Random abilities, but I suppose Iruka expects us to explain everything about what we can do." He let out a sigh at the prospect of all the talking he would have to do and peered out the window as his meal finally arrived. Oddly, Hinata's was also laid out at the same time, though peering at the sandwich she'd ordered he suddenly understood why. It was his soup that had delayed his order a tiny bit.

Once again waiting till they were alone, he picked up a spoon and started on the soup, preparing to speak as he ate. "Well, for starters, the most commonly known part about Uchiha's is our ability to 'copy cat' other abilities. What isn't really known though is the specifics of it. Our own ability has to be active when we witness the ability, and the length of time we can use the ability varies depending on the experience and strength of the individual. As a child I could barely hold an ability for more then a minute before it vanished from my grasp."

He took a break from his soup to take a sip of his coffee, then lifted half his sandwich and took a bite. Well, he was hungry and he did have class later, so he couldn't waste his lunchtime only chatting with the girl.

"Naturally I'm better at that; I can hold most abilities for over half an hour now. We can only use one copied ability at a time though, so copying another ability wipes out the first. At least, that's as far as our basic ability can take us." Half his sandwich done, he resumed his soup. Idly he noted she was barely more than a quarter through her own sandwich; did all girls eat so slowly?

"Our secondary ability isn't all that fantastic compared to what others typically get, but as you know it's always a sort of power-up of the basic ability. Essentially, it allows us to not simply copy an ability, but memorize it and store it for later usage." For once he got a reaction out of her as she lifted her head, eyes widening slightly. He could practically read her thought at that and gave a tiny chuckle. "No, we still don't permanently have the ability. It's more like it's stored for later usage, but the moment we use it, it's just like any typical time. It's only there for so long, and the moment we use another ability, it vanishes. It is however rather useful for mission's, since it means we can gather abilities before hand instead of requiring people to come with us." Her mouth had opened for a moment, forming a tiny 'o' as she understood. Than annoying her eyes dropped once more and she resumed silently eating.

"I've only ever been able to ever memorize a few abilities at a time. I'll admit though, my brother can memorize dozens at once." Of course Itachi could, and while Sasuke was silently envious of his brother, he also wanted nothing more than to surpass him.

Clearing his throat, he pressed on.

"Both of those make for a nasty combination, but it's actually our unique Bloodline trait that unnerves some people." This time he grinned, his soup finished and the second half of his sandwich in hand. Thankfully, she peered toward him in curiosity. Well, it was good to know she was listening.

"Sometimes the 'copy cat' ability is born out randomly, like with Kakashi, and while they can still become formidable fighters, they forever lack our unique benefit. When we're children and our ability first surfaces, something distinct happens. The first ability we ever witness, which isn't of our own that is, becomes permanently memorized as we gain a second ability. _That_ ability we can call on whenever we wish, as well as use it in conjunction with any we've copied." Her eyes were wide like saucers now, and Sasuke couldn't resist smirking toward her.

She seemed to blush from the attention, yet for once she didn't look away! Instead she cleared her throat and spoke softly. "May I ask…what's yours?"

He'd been hoping she'd ask. With his sandwich done, and a smirk still plastered on his face, Sasuke casually lifted a finger so that it pointed upward. She seemed confused, but that confusion wasn't long lasting as he let a tiny blue bolt of electricity suddenly surge forth from his finger. It went nowhere save a few inches upward before dissipating in the air, yet her shock was clear.

"Heh, don't ask how I memorized that one, I don't even remember. But it comes in handy, especially with waking up a particular heavy sleeper roommate." Now she did drop her eyes, blushing heavily, yet again to his confusion. Did she always blush so easily, without any reason?

"That's…umm…amazing. Know…know wonder Uchiha's are so highly regarded." Although she'd repeated a word and paused a few times, Sasuke couldn't resist being satisfied noting that she was getting better at talking around him. She wasn't stuttering of late, which was a good sign…right? Why did she stutter sometimes anyways?

"Thank you. Your turn now though."

"Uh…umm…right."

* * *

><p>Wrapping her fingers around the cup, Hinata resisted the urge to spend the next twenty minutes sipping slowly. She still had half a sandwich to go, yet in all fairness she really should speak up right now. Sasuke had taken the time to explain his abilities despite the fact that it gave away so much about him. From what she'd heard from her father and cousin, Uchiha's were by nature distrustful, especially when it came to revealing just what they were capable of.<p>

Though she knew it was only because of their assignment, it still made her smile softly at the trust she'd been shown. It was only right she gave it in return. Shutting her eyes, she nodded more to herself than him, and lifted her eyes slowly to peer toward his face.

"I'll try not to falter often…I've never fully explained this to anyone so please, excuse me." All she got in reply was a curt nod, yet the seriousness that encompassed him seemed almost relaxing at this moment. It was like a silent strength for her, and so she gave a tiny shy smile and continued.

"Umm, as you probably know, I read minds. It's a unique power in my family; we haven't had another mind reader in ages. W-what you don't know is that the term is actually quite precise. I…r-read minds, literally. I only see a person's thoughts w-when I'm looking at their minds." She paused for a brief moment to drop her eyes to her drink and take a slow, deliberate sip.

"Aa…so that's why you avoid looking at people. Is that the only way you can…not read minds?"

She nodded, for both his comment and his question, and tried to look at him but instead focused her eyes on the zipper of his hoodie. It was helpful that he could easily grasp concepts, making her explanations take less time.

"I…d-don't like invading into p-people's privacy, a-a-and s-s-sometimes it can be v-very embaras-s-s-sing. L-like with S-Suigetsu. Besides n-not l-l-looking, there isn't another w-way." Shutting her eyes, she tried to refocus herself. Her stuttering was getting out of control, yet the blush creeping on her cheeks wasn't helping the situation. Speaking of Suigetsu and what he often thought made it all the worse, yet the sudden chuckle from across the table drew her attention. Glancing toward him, Hinata almost gaped at the grin Sasuke was sporting.

"Yeah, I suppose reading into a pubescent teenage boys mind isn't the easiest thing for anyone, especially a girl as shy and innocent as you."

Eye's widening, Hinata dropped them once again and silently prayed she'd stop blushing already. She could feel it reaching her ears and wished her hair was down, at least than her dark locks could cover them. How could he say that so easily?

"M-moving on. That's my basic a-ability. W-we have enough knowledge on my ability that we already know what my secondary one is, b-b-but it's a lot harder to b-bring it out. I've y-yet to accomplish it once."

"So, what is it?" He was certainly more curious than she had been during his explanation, and silently she was thankful for that. Though blunt questions, it helped keeping her on track.

"I can only r-read a person's open thoughts, that is to s-say, w-w-what someone is thinking." Shutting her eyes, Hinata once again gathered herself. This time when she opened them, she forced herself to look at Sasuke in the eyes. Somehow, although she found his dark eyes intimidating, focusing upon them helped keep her steady. "If someone's distracted enough, like fighting someone or engrossed in a book, I can break through their open thoughts. Reach into their memories…see whatever I want. I've yet to accomplish it, but Neji insists it's probably because everyone here has strong minds anyways. We all naturally have barriers up; he thinks I'd have an easier chance trying on someone normal." As she finished speaking she noticed Sasuke looked shocked which confused her. What she said hadn't been all that shocking, right? Rethinking over all she'd just spoken, it suddenly hit her like a ton of brick. She hadn't stuttered once! B-but that was impossible! Great…now she was stuttering in her mind instead.

Hoping to keep it going, she resumed focusing on his eyes, not understanding why that helped focus her mind and voice. "But, what makes us, or personally me, so special to the Bureau and all the other Families, is because I'm a Hyuga. O-our-" Damn she stuttered. "…unique Bloodline trait is also with our eyes. Neji's ability is like mine, he can only lift what he sees. Our trait however, it…increases our eyesight. That is to say, we…see almost entirely around us. We can also see at a distance, t-through walls and even above or b-below us. Neji can use his trait m-much better than I can, b-b-but I try not to use mine. Activating it makes it so I can read everyone's minds and if I'm not careful, it can be…overwhelming. They aren't exactly separate when I do that, so it's like hearing everyone speaking, or screaming, at once. I can handle m-maybe a dozen people. After that it g-g-gets to be t-too m-much." She was loosing it, but thankfully, she was done anyways.

So she dropped her eyes to her half eaten sandwich and picked it up, hoping to finish it before she had to leave.

"So when those veins pop out beside his eyes, that's him activating the Bloodline trait?" Still chewing on a bite, Hinata nodded while shyly peering toward Sasuke.

"So you all get that? The vein thingy?"

Suppressing a giggle as much as she could, Hinata swallowed before speaking up. "It has a name. Byakugan; I don't know where it comes f-from though."

"Aa…Sharingan." Blinking, Hinata peered toward him as her brows furrowed in confusion. What did he just say? "That's what ours is called."

Her lips parted, forming another little 'o' before she smiled and nodded slowly, focusing once more on her sandwich.

"So I suppose the only way I can practice using your ability is if we use it on each other during training." Now her eyes did widen as she snapped her head upward, peering at him in slight shock. He seemed surprised by her reaction. "What? I'm a copy catter. Do you honestly expect me to not learn how to use an ability before I go around using it?"

Shaking her head slowly, Hinata dropped her eyes. "N-no, I just didn't t-think you'd w-want to l-learn mine."

"Hn. Well I'll admit at first I thought it wouldn't be helpful, but there are benefits. Besides, if I keep it as a memorized ability, it'd make it useful in the future. I hope you're prepared Hinata, I plan to make the most use of our training sessions together."

Trying her best not to blush, she gave a slight nod while popping the last of her sandwich in her mouth. Once it was swallowed she lifted up her cup to finish off her now lukewarm drink.

Whether it was a testament to her expert service, or the fact the café was oddly empty today, their waitress returned to gather up their plates all the while smiling at the two. Hinata however avoided looking at her entirely, so she missed the sly smile the lady gave them both.

Sasuke however didn't and now he peered toward Hinata with a growing frown. "What was it she thought that has you blushing so much?"

Head snapping up, Hinata peered at Sasuke in shock for a moment before fumbling over an answer. "Wha-? No…I…s-s-she…n-nothing! Nothing at all!" Peering at a clock, she nearly sighed in relief. Only ten minutes until her class began, so she really should be leaving, the perfect excuse right about now!

As if she could sit there and explain to Sasuke how their waitress had thought they looked like the perfect cute couple together and had actually wished them luck! Sure it was all in her mind, but…but…why would she think they were together? She only started talking to him today!

"I-I-I should go…class starts s-soon." Standing, she went to grab her bag off the back of her chair and blinked as Sasuke stood as well.

"So's mine. We might as well walk together; we still have to figure out our schedule for camp."

Swallowing, Hinata nodded slowly knowing it was useless to refuse. Besides, it would make no sense, his request, or rather demand, made perfect sense. Moving to leave the café, Hinata couldn't help but ask herself what she was getting into. Training camp was only two weeks away, less if you excluded weekends. Could she honestly handle all those days alone with Sasuke? Though she didn't blush and stumble over herself like she did with Naruto, she was still confused over just how she was reacting toward him. This wasn't normal. Yet whom could she ask? All her friends were either infatuated with him, or indifferent toward guys in general.


	6. Doing it all wrong

**A/N:** Hi Everyone! Sorry for the unusual length of time between this chapter and the last. Shortly after I posted chapter five, I came down with a cold and it left my mind foggy. I thought it'd be best to wait till I could fully function before writing, editing and posting this chapter up ;)

Okay, a quick note on this chapter...it's pretty much a go-between. Next chapter starts the Training Camp, but this one clears up a few last minute things. I hope it answers some questions, and maybe even brings out more ;) For anyone worried about Hinata liking Sasuke too quickly, you should see in this chapter, it's not as it appeared. It'll take more then 4 hours for the girl to go from in love with Naruto to wanting Sasuke (which for anyone curious, is about the length of time from the start of Chapter one to the end of Chapter five.) Anyways, since I'm feeling better, chapter seven should be up hopefully within a week. I'll be striving for a chapter a week as a goal, if I get in more, woohoo. But at least, I want a chapter a week. So enjoy!

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><p>A few days later found Hinata hunched over her physics notebook. Although she had her own dorm room, as well as study rooms provided by the dorms, she always chose instead to come to her typical hideaway; the campus library.<p>

Most people only came here for research, yet since every student also lived on campus, borrowing books overnight was commonplace, which resulted in hardly any students remaining behind. Personally, Hinata adored this particular place. The two-story room might have once carried an air of opulence to rival possibly even the grand libraries of European castles, but that would have been decades ago. Since then, it'd obviously fell into disuse; the wood no longer shimmered from polish, and the chairs often squeaked the moment anyone sat down. Light fixtures were few and far between, half of them requiring replacement light bulbs, while some area's could only be seen by the light of a candlestick.

Despite all that however, it held a charm that Hinata found enduring. The dust might have settled in some areas so thickly to the point one could imagine little colonies of dust bunnies running around, and the rugs certainly needed a proper cleaning; it became quickly obvious her first visit here that the Academy cleaning crew avoided this room almost entirely. Yet if one looked beyond it all, history spoke to you. Decades of students passed into this room, gathering books, using them over and over only to return them back on the wooden shelves where they would wait once again. Certainly the school had history, only the desks had long since been replaced, the blackboards were new, half of them being replaced with marker boards, and long since had the wallpapers been removed only to be replaced by paint.

Konoha Academy had been around for at least two centuries, yet while walking through it's grounds the only sign of it's age was it's exterior structure, the architecture of the buildings speaking of a time beyond all their years. Everything was new, everything save the library. The one place in the entire Academy that had yet to be touched, and Hinata hoped that remained for as long as the campus continued with its programs. Constantly looking forward to the future was a motto they often lived by at the Academy, so dwelling on the past was frowned upon. Learning from it however was encouraged, as well as never forgetting where it all came from.

This room, this place full of history and lessons from a time all before them; it simply felt right to her that it somehow remained in the past as well. That by stepping through those doors and entering this little part of historical reference, the very air reminded you of just what you were here for.

Than again, Hinata also knew she was probably one of the few people who appreciated the library for what it was. Proof of that statement was evident at that very moment, as she sat alone in the expansive room.

Large oak tables were set out to be used by students, matching chairs placed around them in sets of six. As the dark-haired girl shifted in her own chair, she took a moment to slip her feet out of her orange and red leather sneakers and pulled them up, tucking her toes under her thighs. The chairs were huge, most likely once sturdy, yet as she shuffled now they squeaked, reminding Hinata of yet another problem.

They were also cold, and hard. Frankly, they were uncomfortable. Her carefully chosen clothes were well suited to the otherwise chilly room. While apparently flimsy, her cashmere lounge pants were certainly warmer than typical pants, as well as the paired sweater and cardigan and the fluffy socks that she wore. She had to admit however, her colour palate was rather muted; pants in a light grey, sweater in a darker shade of grey while the cardigan was so dark a shade of grey, some would probably call it black instead. Besides her coloured shoes and black socks, she was decked entirely in grey today, perfect for a study session in a chilly empty room.

Leaning forward, she snaked her arms behind her back to fluff and adjust the pillow she was leaning back against only to change her mind on the fly. Lifting herself up a bit, she slipped the pillow beneath her hoping the extra cushioning would make all the difference.

Why she put up with the little discomforts of the library had entirely to do with its lack of other occupants. She could relax here; let her mind wander, and more importantly, her eyesight. Walking around avoiding looking at people was nerve wracking, especially when curiosity bit at her and she simply wanted to _see_ what people were doing! She might not be blind, yet the way she avoided using her ability made it so that she might as well be.

In private rooms such as this however, she could simply LOOK. It also helped the constant kinks in her neck she got day in and day out. Her bedroom was certainly private, but who wanted to spend all their spare time cooped up in their bedroom? Even if it was minimal, she wanted to explore, live…enjoy herself in whatever way she could.

Settling backwards, Hinata let her head rest on the back of the chair as her eyes wandered upward to stare at the intricate designs that decorated the ceiling, which was carved entirely of wood. She'd yet to ask anyone what kind of wood, only her curiosity was never strong enough to follow through with that inquiry. With her hair down loosely today she was able to play with the ends, her fingers idly smoothing and twirling stray locks about.

A sudden large bang alerted her to the opening doors, and she bolted upward, quickly returning to her awaiting homework. It wasn't against rules to lounge about here, especially when she had no current classes; letting people find out that's what she often did in here however, certainly wouldn't do. Whatever little reputation she had, it had to be upheld.

"AH! There you are Hinata! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

W-ait…that voice! Her head snapped up like a string had guided it, swivelling slowly to her left as heavy footsteps came bounding toward her. Had she somehow fallen asleep, because the thought of Naruto coming here, screaming that he'd been looking everywhere for her was definitely, most certainly a dream come true!

"W-w-wha-a-a-ttt?" How hard was it to say a single word? Apparently, it was impossible for the little girl as her pale eyes peeked through her bangs, catching sight of her blond-haired crush the moment he reached her table. Red immediately bloomed across her cheeks with a mind of it's own.

Leaning against the table so that he could get a better view of her face, the boy produced a face-breaking grin. His blue eye's seemed to twinkle, with amusement yet also with a hint of an emotion she couldn't put a name too, though she partially blamed that on the fact she was feeling suddenly light-headed.

Averting her gaze instantly, Hinata planted her hands on the table before her, spreading her fingers out for added support, as a silent mantra began repeating itself over in her head. '_Don't faint, don't faint, don't faint, don't faint…_' This was the first time EVER that Naruto, her crush of nearly two years now, had come in search of her, on his own. She could not, **would** not ruin it by passing out! Darkness threatened at the edge of her eyesight and quickly she tried regulating her breathing. She simply had to calm herself, avoiding looking at him and focus on the situation at hand. A situation that was surrounded by the fact that Naruto '_Naruto!_' had come looking for her.

"Ne, are you alright Hinata? You're not sick or anything, are you?" Shyly shaking her head, she couldn't quite open her mouth to speak up just yet. "Should I call the nurse or something?" At least that caught her attention.

"Y-you were lllooking for m-me?" As long as she could avoid looking at him, it wasn't nearly half as bad. She could still hear him though, and the boy she adored was rather fond of making sounds, from laughing to frustrated sighs and grunts. One barely had to actually look at Naruto to know just what he was feeling, so long as your ears worked. With him barely a foot away from her, Hinata heard every tiny little sound he made, her ear's straining to catch it all as she avoided eye contact.

"Heh heh. Well yeah, I kinda need a favour from you." WHAT? Shock again filled the girl as a million and one possibilities ran through her head at once. She never had time to question him on what he needed though, for Naruto had quickly pulled out a chair of his own and sat down, beside her of all places! He was now merely inches away, or their arms were anyways.

"See I was talking to Iruka about what I gotta do for my part of Training Camp and this stuff about making my schedule cropped up."

'_Oh, it's about school…come on Hinata, as if he'd come to you for anything else, he barely knows you exist as long as his own crush on Sakura continues to exist! Bet you're happy you couldn't speak now, imagine what embarrassing thing you'd have said otherwise!'_ Her little mental moment didn't last long, interrupted once Naruto poked her in the arm. _'Gaaaah! Oh my gawd did he just touch me!'_

Turning her head slightly so that she could peak at him from the corner of her eyes, letting him know she was paying attention so that he could go on, she caught sight of the smile that was still plastered to his face. That could have killed her right then, if a person could die from blushing overload. She wasn't certain how red she was, or how deep she was blushing, but from the heat she felt from her entire face, it was pretty clear she was blushing heavily at this point. At least she'd left her hair down today, so the long locks fell forward enough to partially conceal her face; that's what she was telling herself anyways.

"Well Iruka told me since I don't have a set partner, I can actually train more than everyone else. I have more open slots, see, so I've been working on my schedule. Only there's more slots than there are teams, so Iruka told me I can either keep those as free times, or double up on some teams." Chuckling, the boy sheepishly placed a hand behind his head, rubbing at his hair. "I was honestly thinking of just resting since I couldn't think of which teams to go at twice."

Giving a tiny nod, Hinata partially understood what he was going on about. She was however confused as to why he needed her help in any of this. Thankfully, she wasn't left standing for long.

"But than I saw you and the bastards group! And I remembered how he forced you to team up with him just cause he's curious about your power. Pssh…selfish ain't he? Anyways, it got me thinking I should make him suffer a bit. I went to ask Iruka if I could use all my extra slots on the same team, and at first he actually said no." Grinning, the boy leaned back in his chair now, spreading out his arms over his head in exclamation. "He can't resist me forever though!"

His arms dropped after a moment, and Naruto leaned forward again, dropping his head a bit so that he came in rather closely to Hinata, their faces merely a few measly inches apart now.

Mentally, Hinata felt herself die from heat overload as her mind screamed about him being too close.

"Besides, when I told him who I wanted to bug, he kinda agreed. Sasuke'll push for more from you, more than that bastard should from any girl. Hmph, he doesn't care if you're a girl or not, when he wants something he just pushes till you collapse! So Iruka agreed to my request…but only if I got you to agree. So what do you say? We wont tell that bastard nuthin! I'll just keep popping in all the time just to bug him! Ah! I mean, to make sure he isn't pushing you or anything…hehe."

Something in the back of Hinata's mind screamed in defiance. Her rational mind however was currently being ignored, leaving the poor girl as nothing more than a simpering, swooning girl in love. Okay, so she wasn't simpering exactly, and she didn't have any hearts twinkling in her eyes, nor was she letting out slow sighs while she stared adoringly at the boys face. With how close Naruto was too her right now though, she was definitely a puddle of mush and goo. Every time he breathed, she could feel the air slightly move against her hair!

He stared at her, waiting an answer for a question she couldn't quite remember just yet, so instead she nodded her head in acceptance. Whatever that boy wanted, certainly she'd agree to it!

"Really? Great! I'll go tell Iruka right now! And remember, don't say a word of this to Sasuke, let that bastard suffer, HA!" Bounding out of his chair, Naruto raced for the door without a second look back. As the door swung shut, the room fell silent, Hinata staring at empty space while still lost in her own personal little heaven.

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Wait, WHAT?" As the haze in her mind lifted and she snapped back to reality, her body swivelled around so that she could half glare, half wide-eyed stare at the door that was now shut. He…no, not only Naruto, Naruto AND Iruka both didn't think she could handle training with Sasuke? And what was that about girls? Did they honestly think girls couldn't keep up with boys?

Okay okay, so she wasn't naïve. She knew full well boys were stronger. Training wasn't just about strength though, it required endurance, stamina, and most of all willpower. Four years ago she might have entirely agreed with them, putting herself down on how pathetic and weak she was when it came to her physical aspects. Four years ago!

Since then, she'd trained and pushed herself as hard as she could. It wasn't just her self-confidence she'd been working on! Hyuga's were primarily fighters, and while her ability wasn't made for front line fights, she couldn't remain back indoors where it was safe either. Entering the field was the only place she could make full use of some of her abilities extra bonus'; how could she ever hope to enter the field if she couldn't stand up in a fight?

She was not weak, nor pathetic! At least, not as weak or pathetic as she had been. She was the first to admit she had more to go before she could proudly proclaim herself a Hyuga, yet compared to herself of four years ago, she was at least presentable!

Shoulders slumping, she rested her hands on the back of her chair before setting her chin upon them, a full-blown pout crossing her face. Why was it that the guy she adored barely noticed her? She might have been able to overlook that, yet now he was telling her he thought her weak? Incapable of handling some training sessions with a guy? Okay okay, so it wasn't just any guy. She'd admit Sasuke was a bit of an ass, or in the very least that her cousin had actually complimented the boy on his 'commitment to training' which in other words meant he probably had a stick up his ass, just like Neji. She adored her cousin, but couldn't ignore the fact he was hard to deal with and pretty rough around the edges. Nah, she wasn't an idiot, nor that naïve.

Really though, it was moments like this when she wondered just why she fell for Naruto anyways. Oh, right.

She fell for him because he always smiled, always laughed, always faced forward. Even when people put him down or laughed at him, he stood right back up and sometimes, he'd even laugh along. Some, well no, most people called him an idiot for that, teased him constantly. Very few people could see the strength in him, and Hinata was perhaps the only girl in the whole Academy that did.

"If only…" Mumbling softly, she let her eyes stare off at absolutely nothing as her mind wandered into the 'if only' categories.

If only he noticed her, if only Sakura would speak up and flat out turn Naruto down. If only she was more to Naruto's tastes. If only she could speak up and tell him what she felt, if only she was more courageous. If only he'd smile at her every day. If only…if she'd only like him as a friend, and nothing more, this would all be easier. If she wasn't so stubborn, she'd have given up months ago.

She was stubborn though. Stubborn enough to not give up until she knew 100% she stood no chance, whether that be because she confessed and he rejected her, or he found someone else before she gathered the courage to do so.

Squeezing the back of her chair, her eyes began to steel in determination as she gave a few curt nods to herself. So she couldn't do anything right this moment, but sitting around moping wouldn't make a difference. She could start with what Naruto had just given her, the Training Camp.

Naruto said he'd be popping in to bother Sasuke, and 'relieve' her. All she had to do was prove him wrong, make him see her by keeping up!

_For every minute_

_And every hour_

_I'm awake but I'm sleeping_

_My eyes are hers_

_And she see's thru them well_

_My mind's all hers_

_Under a goddess spell_

Blinking at the sudden sound, Hinata twirled around and reached for her bag, rummaging through it in order to find her cell. She already knew who was calling, that particular ring tone was Ino's. Yet why was Ino calling her? Finding it at the bottom of her bag, she successfully pulled it out and held the device to her ear.

"Hello Ino."

"**Hey girlie, you still hanging out at that dingy library? It's almost supper time!"**

"It's not dingy Ino, I happen to find it comforting, even if it is a little bit chilly…"

"**Yeah yeah whatever, it's old, smelly and a place I avoid. That's not the point!"**

Lifting a hand, Hinata gently rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "What is the point?"

"**Tonight's plans of course, and tomorrow's!"** Okay, that caught her attention.

"What do you mean plans? I only planned to study…and maybe exercise." She mumbled the last part softly, yet it was entirely missed by her friend who had suddenly squealed in delight.

"**Shopping spree, duh!"**

"Wha…huh? I don't need to go shopping Ino, besides you need permission to do that…"

"**Oh don't worry your pretty shy little head off. I already got permission for us to go into town tomorrow. With most of the guys going off campus anyways, the teachers didn't see any reason to restricting us as well."** The guys were going somewhere? Though she was curious, Hinata decided to leave that for later and instead attack the problem at hand.

"I still don't need to go shopping Ino."

**"Pssh, please. I single handily picked out your wardrobe little missy, so I know for a fact that you have nothing in there fit for training camp."**

"What? Well…I have a few pieces that would work…"

"**Not for this occasion you don't!"**

"I…don't see what's so special about this occasion."

"**Duh! Hinata you're spending how many hours, how many **_**days**_** training along side THE Sasuke, how can you possibly just show up in plain old janes?"** Oh, that's what this was all about. Sighing, Hinata once again rubbed at her nose bridge.

"Ino, I'm not after Sasuke, nor do I want him to garner any interest in me. You know whom I lo-l-like. So this is all pointless."

This time it was Ino who sighed. **"Hina sweetie, Naruto doesn't even notice you."** Ouch, that hurt. Sure she knew it, but hearing one of her best friends say it so point blankly was…painful.

"You…didn't have to say it like that…"

**"No, I did. You love him…"**

"I didn't say I lo-lo…."

"…**oh please, you and I both know your feelings are that deep for the guy. But he doesn't see you, and you don't have the courage to approach him. So that's why I came up with the PERFECT plan, and it goes into effect tonight!" **Uh-oh, her last plan was exactly what resulted in her entire wardrobe change.

"Umm…what plan?"

**"Hehehe…the plan to get you to grow some balls! Figuratively speaking anyways. You don't think you stand a chance against Sakura, which is why you'll never step it up as far as Naruto is concerned. So what you need is an experience in being appreciated, and we already have the perfect opportunity."**

No…she wasn't…she couldn't…

"I-Ino, you don't mean…y-y-you want me to…go after Sssssasuke?"

"**What? No!"** Oh thank gawd. **"I just want you to flirt with him!"** WHAT?

"I…I…I…I…I…I…"

**"Oh stop with the broken record. I don't want you to do it seriously. Just…gain experience. He's obviously noticing you even if it's just a tiny bit, so take advantage of that. Get used to being with a guy, talking to one face to face! And please, what better guy to get over your anxiety around guys than the hottest guy on earth? Plus since he'll never take it seriously, you have nothing to loose!"**

Finally, her brain began working again, and more importantly, her voice.

"That wouldn't work Ino. I…I admit Sasuke is extremely good looking…"

**"More like a walking bloody Adonis…."**

"…BUT I don't think I could get attracted to him. After speaking with him, I realized he's…he's a lot like Neji. It's kind of comforting really, and there's no way I could ever be attracted to my cousin."

**"Pssh, only he isn't your cousin Hinata! You're only using that comparison for now. Trust me, an hour, no, a few minutes tumbling around training with the guy and all thoughts of him being your cousin will fly right out the window! Oh gawd, you really will be tumbling around with him to…I think I'm gonna faint just imagining it."**

"Ino! That's…that's highly inappropriate!"

**"Gah, whatever Hinata…just get your butt back here. We need to go over what you do have, what you can bring, and what you need! And before you even think of complaining, I'm not gonna force you into tight shorts and sports bra's. That's Tentens thing. I know you're shy, but there's still a way to show off that fantastic body of yours without showing off any skin. Just trust me, and get home already!"**

"…fine, I'm on my way back. I'll be there soon, so save a plate for me okay?"

**"Pssh, with everyone going on diets before training camp, there's plenty of food to go around girl. See you soon!"**

"Bye bye." Hanging up, Hinata finally let her shoulders slump as her head lightly banged the table beneath her. Well great, now she'd be spending the remaining time with Ino having lessons on how to 'flirt' with Sasuke. Ugh…and here she'd wanted to start training before hand to build up her skills again. Well, maybe she still could. She could always sneak away from Ino at points, it wasn't so hard to avoid her blonde friend.

Gathering up her books quickly and stuffing them back into her bag, she slipped her shoes back on and dashed out of the library, back to the dorm where Ino waited.

A week and a half till camp started. That was all the time she had to touch up on her families fighting style, to make sure she could 'keep up.' She'd go through with Ino's plans, to get rid of her nervousness around guys, but she also intended to prove herself. Sasuke choose her for a reason, not anyone else but _her_. She wasn't about to prove his choice wrong by falling behind. She wasn't weak anymore.

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><p>The following day, Saturday, found Sakura primping in front of her full-length mirror. Today, she was gonna do it. She'd gather up the courage and…ask Sasuke out for coffee. He adored the campus coffee, which meant the odds of him refusing were less instead of her asking him to say, a full-course meal. There was also the fact that there were no restaurants on campus, and although they had no classes today, they still couldn't go into town without permission. Permission that was typically only granted to Jonin ranked students.<p>

So coffee it was!

Running fingers over the scarlet sweater dress she'd picked out for today, Sakura took a moment to turn to her left, then her right, appreciating how closely the dress fit her. She might not have Ino's curves, but she wasn't lacking entirely in that department either! Wearing this was bound to gain attention, especially the V-neck that cut just deep enough, that with the help of a special bra, she managed to reveal just enough cleavage to be alluring, without seeming to be eager. She wanted attention, not a quick romp in the sack.

She went through the trouble of putting on a bit more makeup today, and drying her hair in large rolls so that it now fell in waves, cascading around her shoulders where she kept her length neatly kept to. And her finishing touch, her ultra sexy grey suede, lace-up, five-inch platform knee-high boots. She managed to nab them at nearly half-off, and still they'd cost her a cool eighty bucks, so she rarely put these suckers on. Unless she was putting on her full game that is.

With a giggle in anticipation, she twirled on her toes and ran for the door, picking up her purse on the way. Nothing, save Sasuke's refusal that is, was going to get in her way today!

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…

…

That was unless she couldn't **FIND** Sasuke!

Sakura had searched everywhere she could get to in the past two hours, from the places Sasuke usually spent Saturday mornings, too random places he just might be hanging out. She'd probably ran through the campus grounds four times so far, in five-inch heels no less! Her feet, were killing her. Her hair had long since lost it's wave, now hanging limply about her, not to mention she was fairly certain her makeup was ruined one way or another by all her running around. Yes, she'd sweated, but you try running around in a damn sweater dress for two hours, with the sun beating down upon you constantly and see if you don't sweat!

Now her temper was flaring, causing her to want to find the damn boy just so she could whack him over the head. Why was it whenever she had no goal in mind Sasuke was literally everywhere she looked, but the one time she had the courage to ask him for coffee and he was MIA?

Kicking a stone in defeat, Sakura gave a pitiful wail before trudging herself over to a bench. It was the same bench she'd sat at and spoken with Tenten just earlier this week, yet right now she couldn't care as she let herself fall down on it. Ignoring protocol, Sakura dropped her head backward, shutting her eyes as she let her limbs splay out.

This wasn't fair!

"Where the hell are you Sasuke?" Grumbling, her right hand curled into a fist and she idly punched the bench. Once again, she ignored something important as a tiny crack resonated from beneath her fist.

She punched again, settling into a sombre silence after a few moments.

"Wow, I bet if I bent forward, I could totally see your underwear Sakura…you ARE wearing underwear right? Not pulling a Britney on us are you?"

Eyes snapping open, Sakura's head flung up as she came face to face with Tenten. Was there something about this bench and her? Belatedly, her friends' words hit her and Sakura's face quickly began matching her dress. Quickly she shut her legs and crossed them at the ankles at the same time.

How could she have sat there with her legs wide open without even noticing? GAH!

Hands covering her face, she quickly buried her shame while avoiding too see if anyone else had noticed besides the brunette, who was now laughing her head off by the way.

"Don't….ha…don't worry Sakura. No one is even here, at least none of the guys are. So you're safe."

Something about her comment piqued Sakura's interest, and she slowly glanced up from the safety of her fingers, an eye peeking over her tips as a brow slowly arched upward. "Wait, what do you mean none of the guys are here?" As she asked, her eye also peered around the area.

True to the statement, there were no guys outside, which was a bit odd. Letting her hands drop to her lap, Sakura straightened while taking in a better look of her surroundings. Had she even seen a single guy out today? Her mind had been so focused on finding Sasuke and Sasuke alone, she'd neglected to pay attention to anyone else. Tenten seemed to pick up on some of that, because she was giggling a bit now.

"Did you forget today's the FA Cup finals? The guys have all had tickets for weeks, or was it months? Naruto transported most of them over to England earlier today, and given the time difference, they probably wont be back till the crack of dawn."

Sitting up straighter, Sakura's eyes began widening to the size of saucers. "Eng…they're all in England? Even Sasuke?"

Although apparently amused at Sakura's antics, Tenten suddenly frowned at the mention of the raven-haired boy and took a moment to carefully look over Sakura once more. With a sigh, she stepped around and took a seat to Sakura's right. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure he went along as well; weren't you the one telling us all how much he adores the sport? And if you wanna see good Football games, you gotta go to Europe, or at least it's what they were spouting about yesterday." With a casual shrug, Tenten leaned back yet kept a careful eye upon her friend.

"Oh…but wait, don't you love sports Tenten?" That produced a soft laugh from the brunette.

"Yeah, but the tickets weren't free ya know. They might have gotten free 'travel' but they still had to pay for their tickets. Apparently they got good seats too. Anyways, you know as well as I do most of the guys are all from Families, they're rolling in dough, some more than others. I got about as much money in my account as you do Sakura, and dishing out a grand just for a sports match isn't my idea of careful financial planning."

Sakura was nodding slowly, understanding the need to keep a tight reign on what little money they did earn. That's why she bought things on sale after all!

"Wait, you're joking about that grand comment right?" Well, there was no way a single event could cost that much, that had to be like for the whole group or something, right?

Tenten merely shrugged. "Like I said, they got really good seats. Great seats at those kinds of events, yeah they tend to cost a cool thousand after taxes. I hear Super bowl tickets can run into three grand easily. Gawd knows I'd kill to be that up front at a match, especially the finals! GAH! But throwing away that much just for one match? No way in hell, my mother would be rolling in her grave if I did that."

Still slightly flabbergasted, Sakura stared ahead at the rather empty grounds and silently wondered what that was like. To be able to spend that kind of money on a match, and not have to bat an eyelash? Both girls let out a heavy sigh at the same moment, as if both were thinking equally depressing thoughts.

Wanting to change the subject, Tenten shook her head and sat up, motioning toward Sakura's outfit. "So, what's with the getup? I thought you swore you'd never wear those boots unless it was 'life or death.' Something happen today?"

Her friends' innocent curiosity caused Sakura to grow slightly depressed as she frowned. "No. I finally had the courage to ask Sasuke out for coffee, only to forget he wasn't even here today. Which means I wasted my whole morning and even part of my afternoon now all for nothing! Argh! Why is it always so hard whenever Sasuke's involved?"

Though she wasn't actually asking anyone, Tenten pressed her lips together in contemplation.

"You know…" Her friend paused in hesitation even as Sakura's attention diverted toward her. She hadn't intended a response, yet now that her friend was willing to give one, she felt she owed Tenten her attention at least. "…I think its cause you're trying too much."

Okay wait, that was her advice? An eyebrow shot up only to twitch once or twice. The brunette seemed to notice the rise in anger and quickened to make her point.

"You say you know everything there is to know about Sasuke, right? Well, what type of guy is he?" Such an innocent question calmed the pinkette for a brief moment as she moved to answer immediately.

"Handsome, cool, mysterious, perfect, gorgeous, strong, charis…" Before she could continue, her friend cut her off.

"Gah, no! I didn't mean what you thought of him. What type of guy is he, like say, as far as school work is concerned?"

This time Sakura paused, narrowing her eyes as she considered the question. Her knee-jerk reaction was to talk about what she thought of him during school, only apparently that wasn't what Tenten was searching for. Instead, she decided to try a different route.

"Serious?" He was the definition of serious when it came to school.

"Exactly! To a point. Anyways, Sasuke is serious, about schoolwork, about training, about proving himself! So honestly, for a guy who is that gung-ho about all that crap, what do you think his view on dating would be?"

This time Sakura paused for even longer, idly biting on her bottom lip in concentration. Okay, so Sasuke really was serious about his training and proving himself. He had reasons too, and while he rarely spoke about them she knew enough to know it had something to do with his family. He wanted, no needed to prove how good he was, and despite being the best at the Academy, it was never enough. He was constantly pushing himself further ahead with such determination Sakura never understood how he had time for anything else.

Her eyes widened in sudden realization, looking toward her friend immediately. "A distraction?"

Tenten wasn't smiling anymore. Instead she merely nodded slowly with an impassive look on her face. "That about sums it up. So, next question. For a guy that sees dating as a distraction, how would he look at girls that keep throwing themselves at him, begging for a date?"

The pinkette suddenly understood her friend's impassive look, as her own face quickly took one on as well. "As a nuisance. If they can't help him, they're just in the way." Her shoulders slumped and her eyes focused on the pebbles beneath her boots. "I never stood a chance in the first place."

This time though it was Tenten that perked up. "That's not true! I say you've just been going about it all wrong. You have at least three years before he graduates Sakura, you can still turn things around!"

Finding her friends enthusiasm both encouraging and disturbing, Sakura peered toward Tenten with a half smile half frown, a brow once again arched slightly in question. "And just how can I do that?"

"By becoming an asset to him! Come on Sakura, you're a fighter type! You're like the only girl here that is, and you of all people know Sasuke is a fighter type too. All you need to do is prove to him just how much of an asset you are and you're bound to gain his attention. Once you got that, it's only a few more steps till he notices how gorgeous and indisposable you are to boot."

By the time her friend had finished explaining things, Sakura had already found her strength returning. Tenten was completely right! She had the one thing Sasuke coveted above all else, an Ability for fighting he'd want to get his hands on! Sure they'd sparred a few times in hell class, but never long enough to really count as something. If she wanted to gain his attention, make him approach her, she had to play by his rules.

"Aah! Thanks Tenten, you're brilliant! Who knew you understood Sasuke so well!" Stretching out her arms, Sakura leapt from her spot to Tenten's, wrapping her arms around the girl and giving her a tight hug; naturally, she avoided using her powers.

Her friend merely let out a tiny laugh in response, hugging Sakura back with one hand, the other supporting herself on the bench beneath her. A rather loud crack came from beneath them all of a sudden, both girls' eyes widening in shock immediately. They both went to move, only not quickly enough.

Sakura shot upward, making it safely clear. Tenten on the other hand fell backwards, or more precisely, downwards. It wasn't enough for her to fall through the bench, but she did find herself suddenly stuck as her left hand was sticking through the hole Sakura's earlier punches had caused. It'd earn her a few scratches and splinters, but thankfully nothing serious.

"Wha-t….Sakura what the hell did you do!" In embarrassment and rage, Tenten hollered at her friend, who was now covering her mouth even as she doubled over in laughter. She couldn't help thinking that at least it hadn't been her getting stuck in the bench.


	7. Warning Chills

**A/N: **Just a re-upload of a chapter where I had a few finally problems with grammar and such. Nothing major for anyone whose already read it...

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><p><em>When the Academies first came into creation nearly two centuries ago, it became quickly apparent that children born with these unique and special Abilities required a different upbringing in comparison to the otherwise normal children. It was never a matter of which children deserved better, or for that matter which were thought to be better. The Council in charge of each Academy agreed to their creation for one unanimous reason; the insurance that these children would grow to be productive, fruitful and at the core law-abiding citizens. There was always an underlining fear that these children, if left unwatched, could grow into powerful beings that would one day turn against humanity.<em>

_While some countries sought to simply eradicate the problem, the majority saw the truth behind the potential such powerful beings held. With the cooperation of the largest Families at the time, the Academies were constructed as a means of nurturing these children. Part of the agreement put into place with the Families insured that the children would remain with them until they reached a mature age, at which point they would relocate to the Academy their Family was associated with, spending the next five to ten years of their life in 'training'._

_While training their abilities has always been an obvious goal for Academy teachers, they also undertook the far more difficult task of training personalities. Problematic students often found themselves being held back, undergoing courses that would eventually weed out any character traits that could pose as potential threats in the future. The Academies true goal is to never graduate a student that could one day turn against society._

_With these ideas in mind, certain events throughout the year were created in order to monitor and help evaluate which individual students have progressed. The Training Camp is one of the oldest and longest standing traditions of evaluating students, and while it has changed dramatically over the years, to this day it remains as a final test for students. Taking place at the end of each term, it provides a student with three chances a year in which they might potentially rise in rank, getting one step closer to graduation._

_For nearly the entire history of Konoha Academy, the Training Camp was held in the same place and conducted in the exact same way; it was only twenty odd years ago that things changed dramatically. Originally, students would be relocated for two weeks into forestry owned by the Academy, where they would team up into partnerships and spend their time sparring, training and also learning from each other. The last two days were always put aside for an all out Sports Event, in which each team would compete against everyone. Despite how it sounded however, the event was purely for fun, for points were given not to whom won the events, but over the oddest of situations such as who laughed the most or who pranked the most. Apparently, each Sports Event held unique rules, which were never revealed until afterwards. _

_In the end however, something happened that forced the Academy to forever terminate the use of the Sports Event. The teachers were sworn into secrecy, the students eventually all graduated and no records remain that can reveal a single thing. Whatever it was that forced two fun-filled days to become a thing of the past is, apparently, a secret no one is willing to reveal. The following year plans began for a facility to be built that would house the Training Camp from that point on. Over the year's it has been frequently renovated, to the point that it reminds most of the students of some sort of space age military training camp, which in a sense, is exactly what it is._

"This Facility is twice as large as the campus grounds, housing specialized rooms that allow students to call forth their power at whatever level they desire without fear of harming their environment. Constantly monitored, we teachers also find that we can now keep a watchful eye on our students without directly interfering, allowing your teams to truly be alone throughout the days. Though you will be alone, you need not fear any type of severe bodily harm coming your way.

"Training leads to injuries, for you new students where this is your first experience of the Training Camp, get used to that fact. Sparring matches back at campus are nothing compared to what you will be going through over the next two weeks with your partner. You'll be training together, and against each other at points. While we will be watching and will interfere should anything overly dangerous take place, we will not swoop in and protect your behinds from simple and otherwise avoidable attacks. We don't coddle you here. Remember, this is your final evaluation, the point in which to show us how far you've come in the past four months, and just what you're worth."

Like every other term end, this was about the time Sasuke started tuning the teachers out. It was thanks to the unique structure of the Academy that allowed students to enter at the start of any term, which meant that come time for the end of term evaluation there was always at least one student that required an orientation; this was already his eighth time coming here for Training Camp however. There was little else for him to learn from paying attention, so instead of sticking around he walked over to where their luggage was being pulled out of the bus along with most of the other students.

While there were definitely enough training rooms for everyone, they were also open to be picked by students at a first come first serve basis. He knew which rooms would best serve them the next two weeks and he also knew which to avoid. Not wanting to chance getting stuck in such rooms as the aqua training facilities; it would do neither of them any good, Sasuke wasted no time in hurrying along.

Despite the fact they would be here for two weeks and that the facility was fully stocked with individual suites for sleeping quarters, as well as a cafeteria and laundry service, it was still essentially a camp, a fancy upscale camp. That was the reason why all of Sasuke's belongings fit into a single large duffle bag, which he grabbed by the strap and flung onto his shoulder. Most of the guys had come prepared much as he had, yet he could already tell the girls, once again, had come with far too much luggage. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed Hinata reaching for a suitcase; last term she came with only a large carry on bag. He only noticed because she was one of the few girls without much in terms of luggage, yet now it appeared she had at least twice as much, though he supposed the blonde at her side was a good indicator as to why. Ino Yamanaka was many things, including a fashion fanatic who liked to force her opinions onto others, even her friends. Although Hinata had avoided her for some time, it appeared even Hyuga sensibilities could not withstand Yamanaka pigheadedness.

Suppressing a sigh, Sasuke proceeded to Hinata's side. It was during the ride over that he came to recall a rather crucial matter to their partnership. In the past, in order to avoid discomforts with room arrangements people were given the option to choose separate partners to room with. As of this term, due to certain rule breaking individuals last term, things had entirely changed and everyone was now forced to room with their partner. It was a fact he'd forgotten until today, and from the nervous blush that crept onto Hinata's face, he was assuming she'd also been reminded. Without waiting for a response on her part, he spoke first.

"Why don't you go pick out our quarters while I get our training room. I'm going to aim for one of the rooms by the north-west side, try to get quarters close by." In the end he was ordering, not asking, and while he barely stuck around to see her acknowledge him with a swift nod, he knew she'd do her best. The shy Hyuga always tried her best to please.

Thirteen minutes later he opened the door to their picked out sleeping quarters, slightly pleased at how everything worked out. Given his higher rank, he often spent weekends here to train, so he had easily found his way to the better training rooms. He hadn't run, Uchiha's **do not** run for just any reason, however he did make good time and get his first pick. As it turned out, Hinata managed to acquire a room that was barely a two-minute walk away, and the west-side cafeteria was only an extra five minutes walk. All around, he felt they'd both picked well. Of course he had had to text her, having acquired her number earlier on the bus ride, to find out the room number.

Approaching one of three doors in their quarters, he took note of the fact Hinata had already picked a bedroom out, One door was shut so he could not accidentally walk in on her while the other two remained open; one led into their shared bathroom while the other was for the second bedroom.

Some quarters were more stocked than others, having separate bedrooms and bathrooms with the inclusion of a tub, such as the room they would now be sharing. Others were arranged more like studio rooms with the beds left out in the open, and while he didn't necessarily mind those when he was alone, or with a fellow male student, the enclosed space was personally welcomed especially this time around. When he'd made the choice to pick her as his partner he'd somehow forgotten the little tidbit where they shared rooms; was that why everyone was making such a big deal over the male/female partnerships?

A slight shake of his head and Sasuke set his bag down, immediately unzipping it and going about unpacking. While he hadn't brought much, it would still be a two-week stay, and he preferred not to live out of a duffle bag for the entirety of their stay. His room accommodated him well enough, with a twin bed, a chest of drawers, a bedside table, a small trunk at the end of his bed and even a small window with a view of the grounds. While there was no closet, he had to agree there was hardly any need for that much storage space. Everything he had fit well into the chest of drawers or the trunk.

Over all, unpacking took him a little over five minutes.

Walking back into the common room area, he instantly frowned toward Hinata's bedroom. Was she still unpacking? Straining his hearing, he caught what sounded like rustling of clothes. With the amount of luggage she'd brought, he supposed it was possible for her to take longer.

Repressing a sigh, Sasuke turned to the couch and fell back as he picked up a remote and decided to channel surf; perhaps he could catch a sports event of some sort while waiting on her….

Nearly thirty minutes later, his patience was worn thin. There was no way it would take her nearly an hour to unpack, so why hadn't she come out yet? Didn't she know they had things to go over on the first day? Resisting the urge to glare at her door, he tried instead to be polite, as polite as Sasuke Uchiha ever was.

"Hinata?" Calling from the couch, he did at least mute the television so as to insure they could hear each other, and waited for a response. He hated repeating himself, especially when no reply came. "Hi-na-ta!" Taking the time to raise his voice slightly and emphasis every syllable of her name, he honestly hoped for her sake she didn't continue to test him.

This time he received a response, or at least he thought he did as he could have sworn he heard an "Eep!" coming from behind the door. After a moment of silence, a dreadfully long moment in his opinion where he contemplated throwing the remote at her door in order to garner more reaction, the door finally opened. He could barely make out her face through the tiny creak of space she'd provided, yet it was at least enough so that he could hear her when she finally answered him.

"Y-y-yes?"

This time, he did sigh. Heavily. Her reaction confirmed his growing fear about the whole situation, and calmly he looked away from her bedroom door for a moment, shutting his eyes and counting backwards from one hundred.

She must have forgotten about the new rule about the bedroom accommodations, and as such was now in a state of well…fear? Utter shyness? Being angry with the girl that was obviously at wits end over sharing such closed quarters with a male wasn't exactly the best way to go about calming her out of her bedroom, and he really did need to speak with her.

He made it to 84 by the time he felt himself calm enough to speak and opened his eyes, so that he could glance toward her doorway, hoping she hadn't retreated within just yet. Thankfully, her door was still opened perhaps by an inch, her eyes, or eye as far as he could see, glued onto the floor.

"You forgot about the new rule as well didn't you?" His simple statement must have caught her by surprise, because her eye quickly lifted to meet his in shock, and as if confirming something, she opened her door enough to at least fully peek her head out.

"I wasn't thinking about this when I requested you to be my partner. I…" Pausing, he let the words hang on the tip of his tongue for a moment, hating the taste it would bring to admit he, in all his perfection, forgot something as simple as a new rooming rule. And yet she was staring right at him now and even as he thought it he knew she knew as well. Was that a tiny smile playing over her lips? Wait, was she laughing at him now? Well, at least not physically, but there was definitely mirth in her eyes as she kept on staring, so he grunted and looked away, embarrassed by the sudden realization that despite his typical gruff nature toward females, he couldn't go about lying to her.

She was going to be more trouble then he originally ever thought.

"You were saying Sasuke?" Her voice came out so confidently, yet that wasn't why his eyes swivelled back in her direction. There was definitely a hint of something in her words, yet whether she was merely amused by some newfound knowledge, or she was attempting to taunt him, he couldn't figure out. His eyes narrowed either way.

"You know exactly what I was going to say." So he looked away, again, this time unable to handle the smile that played on her face. Apparently, as frustrating as the past minute had just been for him, she must have found something else in them because the door creaked open more and she fully stepped out of her bedroom. Well finally, progress.

"You really shouldn't be worried anyways. They're monitoring us, remember? I can't exactly do anything to you if the teachers are keeping an eye on us." Unmuting the television, he lowered the volume enough so that they could still easily converse; yet he could continue paying attention to the tennis match. Nothing else was currently on.

"W-what? But they wouldn't be watching our rooms! That's…they can't do that!" Now he did arch a brow and peered toward her, catching her flustered face, which was slowly turning into the shade of a tomato as her hands were pressed to her cheeks. Did she honestly think that's what he meant? He couldn't resist a tiny smirk slipping onto his face. Adorable.

"They're monitoring this room, not our bedrooms Hinata. The only ones unlucky to have their sleeping video taped are the ones stuck with the studio rooms. Bedrooms and bathrooms are completely off-limits; it's not like they have enough of a death wish to spy on us, what with the type of people they'd be upsetting. Could you imagine what would happen if your pink-haired friend found out something like that?" She gave a tiny giggle as if considering the thought, and slowly let out a relieved sigh.

Oddly, Sasuke began to wonder since when he talked so much. There were only two other people that ever got him talking and both were the biggest annoyances of his life. Naruto he could definitely do without; most of the time anyways, since he could reluctantly admit the guy was at least a worthy distraction. His brother though…forget about that one there.

"Well, why don't you sit? We should go over our schedule before lunch." With a glance her way, he noticed her giving a tiny nod and her slow eventual walk toward the couch. Apparently, excess furniture wasn't a luxury even in their quarters, however at least the couch was a typical three-seater, and he had positioned himself at the far right side in order to rest idly against one of the armrests. After walking around behind the couch, she settled down on her own corner. Eying the single space between them with obvious anxiety, he could already tell this was going to be a trying two weeks. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about her invading his personal space, as she seemed hell bent on staying as far away from it as possible. That was a plus, certainly….

_**~XDXDXDXD~**_

"We weren't expecting you until the new term. This is quite…unexpected."

"Hmm, will it be a problem?"

"Wha…ah, no no of course not. Kakashi can show you to your room…"

"Unless things have changed so much in the last decade, I remember my way around."

"Hahaha…I wasn't…I mean I didn't…what I'm trying to say is…"

"Ah Iruka, I think Naruto was calling for you, grumbling about getting a smaller room or some such."

"What…that Naruto, of course he's bound to get a smaller room, he's not on a team! Ah…excuse me."

…

…

"Did you really have to scare him so much?"

"Hmm, did you have to save him so quickly?"

"…I forgot how much you enjoy that. So, should I tell **him** you're here? I'm sure he'll be jumping with joy once he knows."

"Kakashi…don't spoil all my fun. He'll know soon enough."

"Heh, can't say I wouldn't mind watching him get twitchy. From what I hear he's rather…terrified of you."

"Oh? I'm surprised he admitted to such a thing."

"Not on purpose. It has something to do with mixing vodka and whiskey, and nearly having his stomach pumped. Before it grew that dangerous however, he was quite talkative, and your name came up…often."

"Hmm…I assure you, everything he grumbled about was most likely true."

"Heh, I never doubted it for a second. I'm not nearly as old as some like to think I am, I clearly remember your first years with the Bureau."

"Ah yes, such pleasant memories."

"For you…I'm sure your victims would think less fondly of those moments."

"A shame…and yet they are all stronger for it."

"Really, the way you train people is absurd. Try not to use it too often here; remember they're still young."

"I never give more than can be taken."

"Ah, ha-ha-ha…So, they'll be coming next term? I was hoping to avoid certain confrontations."

"As was the President, but it could not be postponed any longer. We can only remain vigilant and insure nothing goes wrong."

"Which is why you showed up before hand to get any practical jokes out of your system?"

"…I do not joke about."

"Tell that to Sasuke, he seems adamant you're sole purpose is to make his life a living hell."

"Humph, my brother needs to appreciate my consideration for his well being more."

"I'm sure he doesn't see it that way. Well, since you don't tease him, at all, I suppose you could care less about who his partner is this time around, a partner he specifically requested."

…

"Is there something special about this partner?"

"Well, her power is a bit unique, I'll admit."

"…my little brother requested a female partner? And I was under the impression partners were now forced to share quarters."

"That they are."

"…Might I inquire as to who this female is?"

"Ah, a cute little thing, rather shy around males no less. Never knew the kid had it in him. Goes by the name Hinata Hyuga."

"A Hyuga hmm…wait, Hinata? That name has been mentioned at the Bureau before…."

"It ought to have been, she inherited the rather unique Hyuga ability to mind read."

"Hmm, yes. They can't wait to get their hands on her; I hear her father is overly protective however. For her sake, I hope it's enough to keep her out of some of the Bureau's darker clutches."

"The Hyuga's hardly ever let go of any of their own, ever, and their Princess is a rather unique case at that. She has her own personal Knight along for the ride."

"Indeed…what has my foolish little brother gotten himself into now…?"

_**~XDXDXDXD~**_

Standing in line for their lunch, Sasuke felt a sudden chill along his spine, yet resisted the urge to shiver. The feeling that came along with it however turned his usual apathetic face into a slow glower. He only ever got that feeling when one of two people were involved, and since it was highly improbable for one, his eyes quickly scanned over the room in search of a particular blond haired criminal. Naruto had to be up to something.

"Hey bastard, stop glaring so much! You're wilting the flowers!" That obnoxious voice caused his eye to twitch, just once, before Sasuke turned his attention behind him, toward the obvious cause of his recent distress.

"What are you planning moron, and don't feign innocence. I can read you like a book….a picture book that is." A smirk to accompany the words seemed to cause the blond to remain speechless for a moment, as he attempted to figure out just what he'd said. Anger quickly followed along.

"Wha-, hey! Who you calling simple? And I'll have you know not all picture books are simple to read! Some have no words at all and you have to figure out what's going on with your imagination."

"So you're a simplistic buffoon with an over active imagination, point taken." Turning away from the blond, Sasuke decided to let the matter drop for now as he noticed the line had moved and it was now his turn to request a meal. Behind him Naruto continued arguing, yet Sasuke refused to acknowledge the moron. There were times he enjoyed egging Naruto on; at others it was far more satisfying to simply ignore his roommate. Both resulted in a rather upset blond, and an internally amused Sasuke.

As for just what Naruto was planning, Sasuke was fairly certain he'd find out soon enough as Naruto hardly had patience enough to hold himself back for long. He was already beginning to feel the next two weeks would be…eventful.

Another chill ran along his spine and Sasuke swivelled around to scan his eyes over the entire cafeteria. This time the feeling belonged more to caution, and even danger. As his eyes narrowed and scanned the place, he couldn't pinpoint anything that could elicit such a feeling. A feeling of dread began sinking into his gut. It had to be his imagination; there…there was no way **he** was here.

After all, who in their right mind would let Itachi near a bunch of teenagers…right?


	8. Life's Unfair

**A/N:** Hi everyone! New chapter up yay...okay so it's not my longest, but honestly it's part intro to another side story and a tie in to the main story, so I hope no ones disappointed! Hopefully I can keep up with writing this at a faster pace, and if so, who knows how quick the next one will be up! No promises, so I don't have to break them ;)

And a quick note, for those returning and anyone new. I've noticed a few concerns here and there from readers about some characters either being too weak, or before anyone even mentions it, some being annoying. I just want to point out I don't dislike any of these characters. I do however enjoy character development, so while some characters aren't ideal right now, I fully plan for most of them to grow, mature and change through out the story. I hope you'll enjoy it as well! And on that note, enjoy this chapter.

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><p>"HIII-YAA!" Screaming more as a means of venting than actual necessity, Sakura brought her bare fist forward to crash into the bark of a tree, ignoring the tiny prickle as skin made contact. Instead, a somewhat satisfied smile creased her lips as the tree burst from the force of her hit, splitting apart as the top began to topple over. Without missing a beat, she twirled around so that her hands to reach up, grabbing hold of the falling oak. Readjusting her feet once the weight hit her arms, she took a moment to simply hold the tree above her head, staring ahead at the empty valley.<p>

Then, narrowing her eyes, she took two quick turns to build up speed and flung the tree outward, her hands immediately coming back so that they could block the sun from her eyes as she peered forward, watching the tree's path. Mentally, she had a target in mind, yet as the tree fell nearly a meter off course she silently cursed. Planting her hands on her hips, Sakura let out a slow heavy sigh and shook her head; that was her third one so far, and her aim was completely off. Well, she couldn't just keep tossing trees about, especially not when they were so old and…kinda lovely frankly.

Certainly if she was actually practicing within the training rooms, they'd let her throw about weight balls or beams, anything that could be replaced. That's where she **should** be, inside, instead of standing out beneath the afternoon sun, the clouds forming in what would no doubt be a typical spring afternoon. She wasn't dressed to be outside, her turquoise yoga shorts and double layered purple and pink tank top was hardly warm enough for the cool climate. She hadn't even bothered to put on a proper pair of shoes, her toes feeling the cool hair blow across them easily in the black flip-flops she'd put on to simply avoid walking barefoot. The facts were, she'd been on her way to the cafeteria with Tenten, as the two had decided on a quick lunch before heading toward the training room they managed to sign up for and go over a few warm ups. Tenten had told her to wear as little as possible, and to insure she could be flexible; she also made a point of stating she'd be taking her shoes off. In the end, Sakura had simply surmised they would be doing some sort of yoga or martial arts warm up thingie. It was really all Tenten's thing, and she was just planning to go along with it.

Over all, not a bad plan for a day, right? Wrong, because the moment they entered the cafeteria her eyes fell upon Sasuke, and that's when it happened. When her mind suddenly started working again and the most obvious thing of all hit her right in the face; Sasuke and Hinata would be sharing rooms! That…that's… "…just not FAIR!" Running her fingers through her hair again, she let one grab hold of her braid and gave it a gentle, but firm tug in frustration.

She honestly was doing everything in her power not to get jealous, not to be upset at her best friend and definitely not to obsess over Sasuke anymore. Tenten's advice had been sound, if she honestly wanted to gain his attention; she had to do the opposite of what she had been doing, so here she was, trying to do just that! Only to have something like those two sharing rooms get thrown in her face, and the worst part was that she'd been so blinded she completely forgot! She knew the new rule took into effect this term, she knew she'd be sharing rooms with Tenten without a choice in the matter, so how on earth had she forgotten that the same rule applied to her best friend and long time crush?

Groaning, she curled into herself while kneeling on the ground. After seeing those two together, it all clicked in her head and she simply couldn't stay there. She didn't want to freak Sasuke out by acting possessive, and she definitely didn't want to make Hinata think she was upset at her, because really, she wasn't! Just jealous…oh so jealous! So she gave a rather pathetic excuse to Tenten and dashed out of there, yet instead of returning to their room she ran outside, away from any prying eyes where she could…destroy and throw trees? "Talk about pathetic." Mumbling to herself, she let her eyes slowly open as her fingers started playing with some of the newly grown grass, ignoring yet another cool breeze that ran over her body.

"I do believe the training rooms are there to specifically avoid destruction of property." The sudden voice out of nowhere caused her to freeze up, yet it wasn't even the words themselves spoken but the voice that had uttered them. She didn't recognize that voice, couldn't place it with any of the students or teachers. There was the possibility it was simply someone she barely spoke with, but something about the cold edge to each word that struck her in a way that seemed to say no, she'd definitely remember hearing this voice before.

It didn't help matters that despite its cold edge, the strange voice was deep, with a smoothness that in any other situation might had made her shiver. She did shiver, but she told herself it was due to the weather, not the strange voice, and finally gathered enough courage to peek over her shoulder in the direction that voice had come from. What she saw caused her to loose balance, toppling onto her side as her eyes widened in slight shock.

He…he certainly wasn't anyone she recognized from school, yet as he stood there, entirely ignoring her presence while his eyes focused instead on her mess out in the valley, she couldn't miss a few obvious things. His eyes, for one thing, were the same dark pools of onyx she often fantasized about when it came to Sasuke, and while his hair wasn't nearly as dark, it still resembled black, perhaps a charcoal brown. Whoever he was, he kept it longer too, for while he had nearly the same chin-length pieces in the front of his face, at the back it was long enough to warrant tying up with a string…wait wait wait why was she concentrating on his looks so much? So what if he was nearly as hot as Sasuke, though he had less of a pretty boy look going for him and more of a dark knight feel.

Shaking her head, Sakura silently cursed herself to stop ogling the guy and finally went to stand up, brushing herself off from the cold grass as she did so. His words returned, finally, as she simply avoided looking at him and focused instead at…that rock. Yes, that rock lying innocently on the ground not three feet from him would do nicely.

"Well maybe I felt like destroying property." It was a childish response, she knew full well even as a light blush coloured her cheeks, but the whole situation had her trying to play catch up. She'd been so in her own world of moping, she hadn't even heard him coming up on her! Than one couldn't forget his resemblance to her long time crush, only to be floored by how different they also were. He just…stood there, as stoic and quiet as Sasuke ever would, in his black jeans and hoodie under a jacket combination, entirely void of emotion, exactly like Sasuke! Despite that, there was an air about this man, that the moment his eyes peered toward her for the briefest of moments as he considered her words, wiped away any blush she'd previously had. He…he wasn't just quiet and stoic. He certainly wasn't shy or secretive. Something about the way his eyes had flicked toward her, taken in everything they deemed necessary only to glance away in apparent disdain made her feel…small. She didn't even want to keep standing there, only her feet wouldn't quite move despite all her silent pleading. She had a feeling he wasn't quite done with her.

"Sakura Haruno." Her name never sounded so clinical then it had at that very moment, yet even so her eyes snapped toward him as she wondered how he even knew it. "I wasn't aware blatant destruction of private property was a favourite pastime of yours. That certainly is a trait one would have weeded out of your system some time ago I would say; leads me to wonder what other traits you've kept hidden from the Council."

Blinking, she turned her full attention to this strange man now, ignoring how his thumb slid into one of his pockets while he still kept his attention on her destruction, because it most definitely was **not** smooth looking. Tenten was right; she so had a problem with fangirling.

"How…do you know my name? Who are you even, only authorized people are even allowed on this property!" Right, that's where her guts were, finally returning as she formed her hands into fists and let her eyes narrow accusingly. Well, she couldn't just let a stranger wander around, especially if he knew her name. Though they were in more peaceful times, random attacks weren't unheard of.

He didn't even chuckle, yet the tiny upturn on his lips as he smirked held more effect on her than had he actually made a sound. Somehow she just knew he found her funny. "Mind explaining what's so damn funny mister!" Okay, maybe he looked only a few years older then her, so he didn't quite quality for the term mister. His attitude however wasn't of a regular teenager or even a man in his twenties, so mister it was!

"Itachi Uchiha." He didn't even change his tone of voice when speaking his own name, the same clinical feel remaining there, yet as the name slipped past his lips he finally turned his head toward her. Oh great, this was the infamous older Uchiha brother, a true genius so the stories said, and rumours spoke of his sadistic sense of humour as well. Dark eyes narrowed in on her own emerald ones and held her stalk still for a moment, daring her to say a single sound. Finally, after what seemed like a decade to the poor girl, he turned away once more, though this time he was facing the main building. Sakura couldn't find it in herself to breath yet, which was probably a good thing as he dropped another tiny bombshell upon her. "I'll be your new teacher as of today; I'm afraid I'll have to add this to your evaluation _Sakura_."

Exhaling, Sakura wrapped her arms around herself so that she could use her hands to rub at her arms, not even trying to pretend it was the wind that made her shiver this time. She wasn't sure though if it was his relation to Sasuke, the fact he was now their teacher and would be holding this little stunt over her, or how he'd finally changed his tone of voice to say her name in the end. It wasn't as if he'd caressed it or anything, quite the opposite. His stare had held her in place, making it impossible for her to move aside, yet it was the way he spoke her name that made her feel as if he'd already evaluated her. Sized her up for whatever her worth was, and found her unwanting. It was…dozens of words ran through her mind to describe the feeling she had at being judged so quickly by the elder Uchiha, yet one word of all stood on top. Despite his cold air, or the utter lack of emotions in his eyes that froze her with a single look, it wasn't fear that was coursing through her veins at that moment. It was unscrupulous, unreasonable, unwarranted…frankly, it just wasn't fair! And this time, she was most definitely right about this.

How dare he waltz in here, read her file, watch her at one of her worst moments then evaluate her as unwanting! No way in hell did he have the right to hold this over her, to God forbid, deny her a promotion because of one tiny moment of a breakdown! Especially not when she'd finally found the drive to be serious in her training again. Reaching for the rock she'd so innocently focused on earlier, she curled her arm backwards, lifted her leg straight up in the air, and flung the poor thing as far as she could. Wisely, she threw it in the opposite direction of any buildings, and away from one Itachi Uchiha.

Gah, as much as she adored Sasuke, she was already starting to loath his brother.

**~XDXDXDXD~**

Hinata followed Sasuke back to their room with a bit of a heavy heart, something that apparently went entirely unnoticed by the aforementioned boy. She quietly slipped into her private room to change into more exercise ready clothes, yet the moment she heard the tiny 'click' that signified her door was shut, a heavy sigh escaped her lips.

Lunch had turned into an emotional roller coaster, the result of which left her in her current depressed state. Upon first arriving, she'd gone into line behind Sasuke, fully intent on merely eating and then returning and avoiding any troubles whatsoever. Naruto showing up had been a surprise, one she greatly enjoyed, but one entirely unprepared for. She had been entirely content to merely watch her partner and crush banter in their friendly terms, as it tended to go on for quiet some time in her personal opinion. Strangely however, today's ended quite abruptly with Sasuke simply turning his back to her crush, and while Naruto seemed upset at first, his attention had then turned to her.

Oh how her face had heated up the moment he gave her an ounce of his attention. It only grew hotter, if that was imaginable, the moment his arm went around her shoulders and he leaned in to whisper in her ear; that's when her personal heaven ended and her emotional conflict began. Despite appearances, Naruto had leaned in, quite obviously, to remind her of their little trick on Sasuke, and to make sure she still hadn't breathed a word of it to the boy. Honestly…she'd entirely forgotten about that part of their conversation in the library some time ago, focusing entirely on the fact that her crush found her weak. His words had inadvertently reminded her, and just like that he had walked off, skipping ahead of her to grab his lunch while leaving a rather distraught Hinata.

The Hyuga clan was an upfront family, avoiding anything that ran along the lines of deception and coercion; they spent generations building their reputation into a family with strict discipline and absolute truth. Outright lies went against everything the Hyuga's stood for, which was perhaps why her cousin was often teased at amongst his friends. A truthful and honest girl was considered cute and cherish able, yet when those same traits found themselves in a male he ended up being referred to as a stick in the mud by his fellows.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Hinata began chewing on her bottom lip worriedly. Ratting out on Naruto certainly wouldn't get on his good side, and she was trying to impress the boy. At the same time, she couldn't lie to Sasuke, that simply went against everything her family stood for, and she wasn't about to destroy her family beliefs, generations of tradition imprinted into her, simply to attract the attention of her crush. If Naruto couldn't handle the fact she didn't lie well…Hinata simply hoped he could forgive her.

Then again, as long as Sasuke never asked her anything, she wouldn't be lying. Deception was something her family frowned upon as well, yet it was also understood that at times one had to look the other way in order to achieve goals, and so long as no one was hurt, it could be over-looked. Yes, she could go that route; feign innocence until Sasuke asked her; she was quite certain the little boy genius would catch on. Despite Naruto's opinion on his genius plan to bother Sasuke, it was easy to see through, and the raven-haired boy would certainly catch on quickly. That merely left Hinata sitting on the sidelines, waiting for someone to speak to her.

Another sigh with a shrug this time, she decided it was time to change instead of continuing to mope about. Sasuke had suggested they spend the afternoon in the training room, and it wouldn't do her any good to disappoint him so early on. Pulling open one of her drawers, she gave a tiny smile while glancing at all the clothes Ino had made her pack. Most of it was unnecessary in her opinion, yet Ino had insisted she'd want as many change of clothes for lounging about her room.

Fingers playing with the sleeve of a cotton pj tank top she'd insisted on bringing, her eyes widened rather quickly. She could remember Ino's shock that she would bring it along considering how much skin it showed, as well as the tiny holes woven into the design that nearly gave it a see through effect. Back then, she couldn't figure out what was so wrong with wearing it around her bedroom, yet with the turn of events now, Ino's shock, and then the slow smirk that had plastered itself onto her face all made sense. She knew! Well of course she knew, Hinata had been foolish enough to forget on her own about sharing a room with Sasuke, but honestly couldn't Ino have bothered to mention something earlier? Her cheeks exploding into a blush, Hinata quickly shoved the top further into the drawer and decided she wouldn't wear it, ever. She had plenty of sweaters and long-sleeved shirts that would suffice.

Pulling out a sports bra instead, she went on to another drawer and reached for the grey sports tank top she'd managed to talk Ino into letting her buy. The mesh around the shoulders and bottom certainly accommodated Ino's desire for her to show off more skin, while Hinata personally preferred the fact that the shirt didn't form to her body. Instead it hung loosely with a string at the bottom that could be tied so as to insure it didn't ride up in any way. Grey knee-shorts went on next, the elastic around her knee's insuring that once again, nothing would move out of place. While she had consented to revealing more skin then usual, she was not about to wear clothes that could 'move' and 'show some skin' as Ino had adamantly wanted. Besides, these particular shorts had the added bonus of side pockets she could button shut, and extra storage was always a bonus!

Once dressed, she took a moment to braid her hair up, lacking the desire to deal with it swooshing about everywhere. A simple ponytail would have normally sufficed, but the added time it took her to braid her hair helped calm her nerves, after all she was definitely showing off more skin than she was comfortable doing. With a deep breath, she sat on the edge of her bed again and went about pulling on a pair of socks, then the new running shoes she'd bought; she was certain that with Sasuke in charge of their training, she was definitely going to be exerting herself more then she'd ever before. Glancing at herself in the mirror as she stood up, Hinata paused and began frowning, uncontrollably. Her teeth bit down on her lips even as she pressed them together and her arms went to wrap around her waist, for despite all her arguments about why she liked the top, wearing it was completely different. The mesh material at the bottom of her top was just high enough, and her shorts rested just low enough on her hips, that if one bothered to look they could see her bellybutton!

Dashing to another drawer, she shuffled through a few things as a knock came to her door, a rather impatient sounding Sasuke speaking from the other side.

"You done yet?"

"Waah…yes! Just….just give me a second!" Where was it…she knew she'd packed a sleeveless zipper hoodie. It was made for tennis playing, or at least the sales clerk had told her, so it was supposed to breath completely, but most importantly she could leave it half zipped and conceal her stomach entirely! Ah ha, there it was, under the grey hoodie…pulling it out, she quickly unzipped it and tossed it on, shutting the drawer with a quick push from her bottom and rushed for the door. Her fingers were still adjusting the waist around her hips when she finally pulled open the door, peering up at a rather silently fuming Sasuke with a shy smile. "S-sorry. I couldn't find my hoodie."

"Hn." It was all he said, yet she was oblivious to his appraising glance as her eyes were focused instead on her fingers which kept fidgeting with her waist. She did however notice how he hadn't moved yet and after a moment lifted her eyes up to peer at him curiously. Before her mouth could even open to ask him anything, he cleared his throat and turned on his heels, heading straight for the main door. With a shrug, she hurried after him, shutting her bedroom door as an afterthought.

Once out in the hallway, Hinata followed along behind Sasuke by a few feet and took a silent moment to appraise him. Truthfully, she'd never given the boy much attention with her eyes solely focused upon Naruto, and although she couldn't deny he was soft on the eyes, she'd never really looked beyond that. And so Hinata took a moment, the time between walking from their room to the training room, to actually look at this heartthrob that had become her partner for the next two weeks.

He'd kept his hair in it's usual style, that strange 'chicken-butt' hairstyle that Naruto often made fun of. Than again, she supposed he didn't have to worry about it getting in the way like her own long locks often did. At times like this, she considered cutting it to her chin once again.

While he had changed clothes, he was still completely clothed in black. Silently she had to wonder if he owned any colours in his closet, surely some blues, or even grays and whites, right? His black shorts reached beyond his knees, baggy like the type she usually saw on basket-ball players. Combined with his loose t-shirt and those stylish black sneakers, she could actually see him on a court bouncing a ball around. The image made her give a tiny giggle, for she was certain that even there he would remain as stoic as ever.

"What?"

The sudden question surprised her, causing her to jump slightly as she'd been trapped in her own little world. Peering slowly toward him, she arched a brow in question.

"You were laughing." That had been out loud?! A deep blush crept onto her cheeks as she quickly looked away.

"S-sorry, it was j-just a s-silly, s-stupid thought."

"Hn." There he went again, with merely one word, or rather sound, it felt as if he had just told her to stop fooling around. That single syllable sounded so condescending! Silence resumed as they continued on to their training room, and once again Hinata was left thinking how she would survive two weeks of this, with Sasuke. If she did some how survive, surely she deserved a medal of sorts, or at the very least, a survival award.


	9. Getting in Trouble

**A/N:** Here you go, another new chapter! Thank you everyone whose recently reviewed, but I'd also like to thank anyone whose just recently started following or favouriting my story. It's always nice getting any those and they do urge me to write another chapter for everyone that much sooner.

This one's a bit more eventful than the last, and you even get to see a few new viewpoints, so I hope you all enjoy it. Till next time!

* * *

><p>Pausing in front of the training room so that he could insert the key, Sasuke caught Hinata's reflection in the mirrored door. Once again his heart did a strange quickening that caused him to frown, more than usual, and left him perplexed. He knew what that usually meant, but it only happened whenever he'd over-exerted himself in some way, so why now? The first time had happened when she'd opened her door and he caught sight of what she was wearing, which made little sense to him! She wasn't dressed provocatively nor was she even showing much skin. Sure her arms were certainly bared, as well as her calves, but honestly most girls revealed more skin during summer days so why did that result in his heart speeding up?<p>

With a lack of an immediate answer, Sasuke pushed that thought away for now; he could evaluate what it meant later tonight. Instead, he opened the door and nearly stepped inside before a nagging voice that sounded remarkably like his mother forced him to step aside and motion Hinata to enter first. Following her in, he shut and locked the door so that they were not interrupted.

Having taken consideration in the type of training they would be focusing on, Sasuke had chosen one of the dojo styled rooms with the walls lined up with weapon racks. They mostly had to focus internally at the start, yet once they progressed a bit he hoped to move to a distraction based exercise to strengthen both of their ability to use her power during real time situations. The fact that she had to look at her opponent to use her power was a definite weakness, so while it wasn't an ability he could personally copy, he would also have to help her to get used to her Byakugan; surely there was a way for her to focus it and ignore voices she wanted nothing to do with. His assumption was that she merely avoided the ability altogether, to afraid of the power to even try. Yet another thing he would have to work on.

Another reason he choose this room was the knowledge that Hyuga's were traditionalists, even more so than Uchiha's, and this environment was hopefully relaxing for Hinata. He wasn't personally worried about her or anything; it was simply that he assumed her power was directly linked to her emotional state of mind. Really, it was beneficial to him to keep that in mind was all.

By the look on her face, his choice had pleased her, though why that thought should please him was confusing. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to bury that train of thought and leave it for later. Instead he noticed her attention veer toward the wall of weapons, and by how still she suddenly became and the way she started chewing on her bottom lip so adorab…annoyingly, she was obviously nervous about them.

"Aa…we won't use those till later. When we're both confident in using your ability, we'll use those as a distraction method. Keeping hold of the connection while avoiding attacks will keep both of us alive longer." He felt the need to explain fully so that she would relax, and frankly by now Sasuke was starting to grow upset with himself. Why did he even care about all this? Before he started getting annoyed or even angry, at himself or her, he strolled toward the centre of the room. Might as well get this started with.

Taking off his shoes, he lined them up beside each other before sitting, crossing his legs and facing her direction. A swift motion of his head indicated that she should mirror him. "We should start with getting comfortable with your power." This meant she would have to stare into his mind and practice reading it instead of always avoiding his thoughts. The only reason he was even remotely comfortable with the situation was the activation of his own eyes so that he could copy her; while she read his thoughts, he would be reading hers.

It hit him then that by the end of this little training exercise, they would understand each other in a way no one ever really got the chance to. He also would have to be careful on just what he thought for the next few hours.

**~XDXDXDXD~**

Pulling her hair back with the help of a brush, she quickly grabbed an elastic band and efficiently tied it up into a ponytail, her signature hairstyle. The she took a brief moment to go over her outfit, making sure everything was in perfect order. The skin-tight black leggings showed off her figure nicely, and the little embellishment of gold embroidery around the waist was a nice touch, besides it matched with the rest of her outfit. Her top was loose at the moment, reaching just past her hips and sporting a similar black with gold design, yet this time the embellishment was vertical in half a dozen bars across her front. After a moment of thought, she grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled it up, tying it into a knock near the small of her back leaving a nice after effect. It pulled the shirt out of her way while revealing a hit of her stomach and perfect abs. Plus, if things got too hot, she could just take the shirt off and reveal her matching sports bra, still entirely appropriate if a little too obvious.

She nearly went a step further and put on some makeup, but really that was pushing it even for her, so instead she bent to put on her socks and black sneakers. Once straightened out, she forced herself to stare in the mirror and count to ten. Leaving to soon would spoil half her fun, because she was certain her partner was beyond annoyed with her by now but honestly, who could blame her? The guy was simply too easy to aggravate, and while she would have been terrified to purposely annoy Sasuke, egging Neji Hyuga on had its merits. She was one of his dearest cousins' best friends, and Hinata had already done her the favour of forcing the poor boy to swear he wouldn't harm her too much. When a girl had that kind of promise, how could she possibly resist taking full advantage of it?

Thinking she thought she heard a sigh from the other room, Ino finally turned from admiring herself in the mirror and waltzed toward her bedroom door and out into the lounge room. That's where she found him, standing of all things with his arms crossed and looking none to pleased with her. Arching a brow innocently, she canted her head in a fashion that typically had boys in the palm of her hand, well, normal boys anyways. "What are you so upset over?"

Opening his mouth, Neji seemed to reconsider what he was about to say, apparently thinking better of things, and instead went with "Did you have to take nearly an hour just to change?"

Oh now she simply had to put it on as she batted her eyelashes a few times and smiled prettily toward him. "But I had to make sure I looked my best for you Neji! Don't you like what I'm wearing?" With that she did a tiny turn around, showing the back as well as her nice behind, or so countless men often told her. Oh she wasn't expecting any reaction from him, so when he merely sighed and started for the door, she giggled and followed after him with a tiny skip. She already knew the training sessions would be hell for her, Neji wasn't called a stick in the mud for just any reason. The guy was notorious with his methods of training, so in her opinion, the only fun Ino would have in the next two weeks would be annoying her friends' poor cousin. With that thought in mind, she grinned slowly while shutting their suite door behind her.

"I wonder how Hinata's doing." She voiced the question softly, as though spoken to herself, yet loud enough for him to hear, and as expected he stiffened slightly.

"Sasuke wouldn't purposely put her in harms way." Ah such confidence in a fellow man, really it just made a girls heart go aflutter. And her face split into an even bigger grin as she trailed behind him, certain he wouldn't see.

Contrary to the look on her face, she made certain her voice sounded worried and even a bit unsure. "Yeah but what if she didn't make it in time to get a suite with separate rooms? Oh, poor Hinata…even if she does have a separate room, I don't think she's ever been alone with a guy that wasn't family, and than there's her cute pj outfits. Oh! I just hope she's smart enough not to let Sasuke see her in those or she'll never leave this compound fully intact…." Trailing off, Ino peered forward to a space that had previously been occupied by one Neji only to now see empty space. "Wha…Neji?!" A quick twirl around informed her that the overprotective cousin was no where to be seen.

Oh, she just hoped Hinata could forgive her of this, but honestly, with Neji preoccupied elsewhere it meant Ino could take her time getting to their training room. Maybe he might not even show up today? Ooooh that would be just too much good luck for her first day, but a girl could wish and dream. Hands folded behind her, Ino started singing softly as she headed further down the hall; men, they really were so simple to control if you knew their weaknesses.

**~XDXDXDXD~**

Ruffling through his bags, Naruto pulled out a random t-shirt to go with his grey sports shorts and quickly donned it. He didn't really care what he wore as he put on his running shoes, wanting to get on with his plan for the next two weeks, the aptly named 'annoy the hell out of the Bastard' plan. Running figures quickly through his hair to straighten it as best he ever could, he shut off the room lights and tapped into his inner power, porting himself to the front offices. Each training room that was signed out had a spare key kept in the offices for his use, and apparently all he had to do was cross-reference who had which room with the keys and he was good to go.

_Ha, just you wait Sasuke!_

Popping into the middle of the office, he ignored any surprised startles and grinned sheepishly toward Iruka while wandering over to the computer. Typing in Sasuke's name brought up the training room they were using, as well as the number of their suite (damn bastard was sharing a room with a girl! Grr, so not fair while he was stuck in a single bedroom suite). Spotting the training room number, he turned to the attendant and grinned.

"Hey! Can I get the spare key for training room six, please?" While the attendant peered toward Iruka for confirmation, who thankfully quickly gave it with a nod, Naruto took to tapping his fingers on the counter impatiently. Man, he had places to go, bastards to annoy.

The attendant disappeared into another room, with a locked door of all things as if those keys were so precious humph, and re-emerged thankfully barely a minute later.

"I'm sorry, could you just hold on just a moment?" WHAT? No, he had to get going he only had so many hours allotted to the bastard today damnit!

"What seems to be the problem?" Yes! Trust Iruka to get things figured out!

"I'm sorry, it's just…training room six seems to have had both their keys signed out." Oh no, no no no…that bastard!

"What? I thought we sent specific information ahead of time to insure students didn't sign out both keys…" Yeah!

"Oh, no no no it wasn't a student that signed out the spare key. One of the teachers did." Again, WHAT?!

"What?" Exactly. "May I ask who?" Suddenly recalling Naruto's presence, the attendant leaned into Iruka and whispered into his ear, which caused his favourite teacher to…blanch? Wait, who took the bastards key?

"Ah yes, I see. Did he happen to mention when he would return it?" Who, what…what was going on?!

"Iruka…."

"Just a moment Naruto." Grrr…

Excusing himself for a moment, the attendant returned to the locked room, apparently to speak with one of the managers within. Upon returning, he frowned, which couldn't be good at all, while peering toward Naruto and Iruka together.

"I really must apologize, but it seems he's reserved the key for the entire stay. Y-you have to understand, if it had been anyone else we would have insisted on the day by day rule only…" Cutting him off, Iruka raised a hand calmly and smiled; damnit this wasn't a time to smile Iruka!

"It's alright. No one expects you to say no to him, I certainly couldn't. We'll just have to work through things a bit and change Naruto's schedule around."

"Wait, what?! But…but…Iruka!"

"Come along Naruto, you can annoy everyone else instead."

"Aaawww but Iruka I wanted to annoy Sasuke the most."

"Naruto, I did not just hear that. And besides, trust me when I say your replacement will do a far better job of ruining Sasuke's training sessions than you ever could." Wait, whoever took the keys was even more annoying than he was, at least to Sasuke? That…that was impossible! No one annoyed the bastard more than he did.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto swore to find out just who had taken away his key, and to find a way to get it back. Come hell or high water, he would annoy the bastard within the next two weeks.

**~XDXDXDXD~**

Chewing on her bottom lip, Hinata glanced away for what had to be the fifth or sixth time. A heavy sigh accompanied her action, and the apparent disappointment caused her to chew on her bottom lip worriedly.

"Hinata, surely you've done this exercise before. Now continue." She almost opened her mouth to reply, but knew no voice would be found. Ironically, the only way she could voice her thoughts was by doing the very thing she was currently avoiding. With a deep breath, she lifted her eyes, connecting them with his red ones once more and tried, really really tried, not to look away.

'_I'm sorry Sasuke, I'm just not used to this. I…I mean yes I've done this before, but the only guys I've ever practice on was my father or Neji. It's…different.'_

'_Hinata, you said you had to focus more to read beyond my surface thoughts, and you obviously aren't focusing so all you'll ever be able to pick up is what I allow you to, correct?'_

'_Wha…well, yes.'_

'_Than stop worrying so much. I'm hardly about to think something that will embarrass us both right now.'_

'_I…well it's not just that.'_

'_You find staring at my eyes unnerving? Why? Because they look freakish?'_

'_What?! No! My own hardly look pretty when I activate them.'_

'_So why…huh, it's not staring at my eyes that unnerves you is it? It's staring at my face…' _Cutting off the link, Hinata quickly looked away and down, her cheeks flushing a bright crimson. Oh, this was worse than she thought! Normally it was bothersome just to read someone's thoughts, especially a boy's, but now he could read her own. And Sasuke was growing quite adept at reading beyond just the thoughts she wanted him too. She couldn't do this, no no it was much too embarrassing.

Before she could voice anything however, a hand came to her chin and forced it upward, her eyes widening in shock as she realized Sasuke was now directly in front of her.

"Wh-wh-wh-what..?" His hands moved to either side of her face, holding her in place, and as he leaned in close enough that she could feel his breath on her face with every word he spoke, her face came alive like a forest fire. Too close, much too close!

"I know you're shy Hinata, and obviously have trouble staring at people, let alone those of the opposite sex. You don't have any problem with Neji because he's family, and safe, but that won't help you one bit. So think of it this way, if you can handle me, handle staring at me for hours without growing nervous, than whom can't you handle?"

Even Naruto? Oh to be able to…the sudden frown on Sasuke's face made her eyes widen in realization; his eyes were still active!

'_What about the moron?'_

'_I, n-nothing! I understand what you mean, and I'll try…but please, let me go.'_

'_No. I can't trust you not to look away just yet. And wait, you…like that idiot?'_

'_He's not a complete idiot…besides he's nothing like me. He's outgoing and fun and everyone pays attention to him and…'_

'_Psh, not always for the right reason. Half the time people are laughing at him Hinata, not with him. That's not the type of person you want to become, trust me. Besides, you're fine just as you are, once you get over your phobia of intruding upon people's thoughts anyways. There has to be a way for you to control it better.'_

'_I…don't know. There's so little information in our family archives on it. And…and there's nothing wrong with the way Naruto is!'_

'_Ugh just drop it already, I could care less if you like that idiot, or if you started dating him or whatever, that doesn't matter right now so focus!'_

'_We…he n... d...me.'_

'_What was that? Even for your thoughts I barely heard you.'_

'_I said well he would never date me!'_

'_Ugh, no need to yell it…fiiine, since this is about the only way to keep you talking, care to explain why on earth not?' _

'_He…Naruto thinks I'm weak. He thinks you'll walk all over me and that I need protecting, that I can't handle things on my own. Even Iruka thinks that.'_

'_And did you hear this from his empty head, or from his voice.'_

'_He t-told me when he came by to speak with me.'_

'_Wait, that idiot sought you out? Well shouldn't you be happy about that? Isn't that the type of things girl get all ecstatic about'_

Sighing, Hinata unconsciously wrapped her arms around her stomach while keeping eye-contact with Sasuke. She never did notice when his hands fell from his face, because really the topic was easier for her to focus on so she never once thought of looking away. Perhaps a guy's perspective would be helpful anyways.

'_Maybe, if he hadn't sought me out to talk about YOU.'_

'_Wait, what? Why did that idiot want to talk about me with you?'_

'_I…oh drat. See I told myself I couldn't keep it secret, but than again honestly who approaches a Hyuga about keeping a secret by lying? We don't lie!'_

'_No, you do not, however you certainly are capable at deflection. Now back on topic, what did he want you to keep secret Hinata?'_

'_He…he's arranged it so that all his spare slots will be allotted to our team, so that he can keep barging in and bothering mainly you. He was nice enough to make it sound like it was for the sake of protecting me, and perhaps on some level it was his intentions, only we can't deny the obvious truth…'_

'_That idiot just wants to bother me.'_

'_Y-yes…umm, Sasuke?'_

'_Hn.'_

'_Wha…you even THINK that? Ugh, never mind. I made up my mind earlier that if you ever questioned me on it I wouldn't pretend to know nothing, as I said, lying isn't in our nature.'_

'_Aa…I believe you Hinata. So long as it was never brought up, you wouldn't have said a thing, which wasn't exactly lying, just avoiding the truth.'_

'_I…yes, exactly. I'm sorry.'_

'_Humph, never mind that. But maybe it's a good lesson on the most obvious thing of all.'_

'_And what is that Sasuke?'_

'_That Naruto truly is a moron, and you best avoid going anywhere near him, let alone dating him.'_

**~XDXDXDXD~**

Pausing before training room six, Itachi casually leaned against the door and peered in through the side window. He wasn't about to simply barge in on the first day, let his brother's sense of foreboding grow first; peeking in on him could prove informative however.

Spotting his brother sitting directly across from the Hyuga girl, their knee's practically touching, there faces mere inches apart and his hands holding her face, for once caused Itachi to pause and blink rapidly. What kind of training was his little brother doing anyways? He wasn't one to jump to conclusions, taking into account the girls reported shyness toward men, and the restrictions to her power, yet he could easily see how others would misunderstand the situation.

_Foolish little brother, be more mindful of others._ Feeling his cell buzz with a message, he turned away from the window and started down the hallway, pulling out the phone. Swiping his thumb over the screen, he waited for the new message to pop up, an eyebrow slowly arching at what he read.

The Uzumaki kid had wanted Sasuke's key? He was well aware of Naruto's purpose in these two weeks, however allowing him to mess with his little brother, especially when Sasuke might just make some much needed progress, simply wasn't on the agenda. He couldn't well keep the kid away the entire time, but perhaps relinquishing the key on the last day would be enough to cover the rules this time around.

As he reached a T in the hallways and prepared to turn right, someone started running down from the opposite end. Taking the turn only to lean back enough so that his head could pop around the corner and he could peek at who was running, curiosity getting the best of him, Itachi watched with little interest at the brunette male thundering down the hallway. No one he knew personally.

Yet as he prepared to straighten and continue on his way, he recalled all the students in residence and a name suddenly popped up. Oh now, this would be simply too much fun to pass up.

He did straighten, walking back into the hallway so that he could lean against the wall casually and watched as the elder Hyuga in attendance came upon room six. He seemed prepared to knock, yet hesitated as if struck by a moment of decency. Politely, he peered into the side window, but oh Itachi full well remembered just what one saw through that window, and yes, it appeared his little brother and the girl were still in that almost compromising situation.

"U-CHI-HA!" This time he didn't hold back, pounding on the door while yelling their last name. Really, it was all a bit melodramatic, and yet Itachi almost, nearly, grinned. A few moments later the door pulled open and Neji barged in, and even as Itachi caught a glimpse of his brother he quickly disappeared around the corner again before he was spotted in return. If he got to the security room in time he could maybe overhear the conversation and this was a moment he could simply not pass up.

Poor foolish little Sasuke, he really had so much yet to learn. So much for him to teach him.


	10. Getting Caught

**A/N**: And here's another one! Okay, so this is my longest to date. Not hugely long...but it's a 1000 words longer than usual, so I hope you enjoy! Slowly getting to the point where romance can enter the picture hehe.

A quick note about Itachi, no he's not some evil bad guy. But much like in the canon (before he went and killed everyone that is) he has a funny way of showing he cares. And when you eventually find out what his power is, you'll see that it kinda molded how he is as well. But that's for the future!

And thanks for reaching 40 reviews! I don't beg for those, but what I get I do appreciate. Knowing someone likes what I'm writing keeps me writing, so now, onward!

* * *

><p>Being interrupted was never a happy moment for Sasuke; being interrupted by someone screaming his name through a steel door while pounding aimlessly caused his right eyebrow to start twitching in annoyance and his lips to press together in a firm line. Who on earth would bother them during a training session when it was entirely against the rules to do so?<p>

Noticing Hinata suddenly straighten and swivel around at the voice forced his curiosity to join that annoyance. Someone she knew? Taking a split second to re-evaluate their position, and the tone of that scream, Sasuke came to a conclusion at the very moment he heard Hinata gasp a soft "Neji!" and began scrambling to get up.

Springing smoothly to his own feet, Sasuke casually hurried ahead of her so that he could confront this situation head on; absolutely not because he didn't want Hinata to be the one to open the door and be met with her cousins wrath head on. Pulling the door open, the handle slid from his fingers as Neji burst into the room, his hands coming up to grab hold of Sasuke's collar immediately. Normally it was a simple move to avoid, yet Sasuke caught a glance of something down the hall that nearly made him blanch. For a mere second he swore he saw his brother, and as the hands took hold of his collar, forcing his attention away for the briefest of moments, Sasuke began to wonder if Itachi really was here. With a grunt, his own hands came up to take hold of Neji's wrists, intending to pull them away even as he maneuvered himself so that he could peer out into the hallway once again. Empty…yet he didn't let that convince him. That feeling that had continued to bother him all day was too distinct; he began to fear his sadistic older brother actually was in attendance.

Before he could even try to dash into the hallway and verify his growing suspicions, Neji tightened his grip while digging a leg under his own. A swift jerk thrown in with a twirl and Sasuke found himself against the wall, sprawled in a half up position; not his most appealing moment if he had to be honest with himself. Ignoring his brother for now, he narrowed his eyes while glaring upward at Neji, than after a brief moment allowed a smirk to make its way on his face as he couldn't help but taunt.

"Couldn't take being shorter than me anymore Hyuga?" Taken aback, Neji lost concentration long enough for Sasuke to let go of the guys wrists, slip his hands in between his two arms and pull them apart, breaking his hold on his shirt. While Neji seemed to catch on quickly, Sasuke was still fast enough to plant both palms against the boy's chest and push him back a foot or two, giving him ample room to straighten up.

"Bastard, what were you doing to my cousin?" Having regained his senses, Neji attempted to move in on him once again, yet this time Sasuke was focused. Letting that smirk return, he himself closed the distance between them, getting right into Neji's face.

"Exactly what it looks like." Perhaps not the best thing to say since it would surely provoke the guy more, but it was also entirely the truth. Neji was far too overprotective and obsessed to take a step back and see that his imagination had made worse the situation he'd spied upon.

"N-Neji!" Taking hold of her cousins' arm, Hinata tried to pull his attention to her, yet Sasuke didn't actually want that. While her intentions were entirely pure, she'd probably make things worse when trying to explain what with all the blushing she was still doing. There was no way Neji would understand what had been going on with her face lit up as it was, so Sasuke turned his attention to her and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Stay in here." Perhaps he put a bit too much force behind the order, for he noticed Hinata flinching slightly, yet it still had the desired effect upon Neji.

"Do not order Lady Hinata around!" Apparently he'd collected himself enough to recall some manners, or maybe it was simply that he didn't consider Sasuke worthy of them? Not like either reasons mattered to Sasuke though.

Ignoring both Neji and the odd constriction in his chest at the look Hinata gave him, Sasuke turned and walked out into the hallway on socked feet. He needed to get Neji off his back, otherwise they'd never progress in their training, yet he couldn't bring himself to say what he needed to in front of Hinata. That's why he told himself it was better to hurt her slightly with the simple command than to have her hear what he was about to say; a lesser pain to avoid a greater.

It seemed that reluctantly, Neji followed him outside, meeting up with Sasuke a dozen feet down the hallway. He didn't appear to be over forcing physical action however, for the moment he was within range he lunged at Sasuke once more, attempting to grab hold of the boy's shoulders. Really, normally Hyuga wasn't so predictable, but it appeared getting him riled up about his cousin made him careless. A swift slide to the right, made even easier in his socked feet and Sasuke deflected the attack, only to turn the tables on Neji. Latching onto one of his arms and pulling it behind his back, Sasuke pressed him up against the wall and forcing the older boy to listen.

"I never knew you to be a rule-breaker Hyuga." Struggling for a moment in the hold, Neji almost seemed lost to the rage that had consumed him. Clarity apparently began to return however, as the struggles ceased altogether, yet even then as he spoke his voice was low and filled with restrained resentment.

"Lady Hinata's safety is always my priority." Now that caused Sasuke to arch a brow, even if Neji couldn't see it from his pinned position.

"And just how was I putting her safety at risk?" The struggles returned even as he bashed his head backward, catching Sasuke in the cheek with enough force that the Uchiha boy almost let go. That might just leave a bruise.

"You're a danger to her! Lady Hinata is too innocent to be around you, too naïve to understand what your intentions are." Frowning, Sasuke shook his head a bit while pushing Neji into the wall with enough force to cause the older boy to grunt. Afterwards, he leaned in so that he could lower his voice and speak without Hinata catching anything, for he was quite certain she hadn't entirely listened and was most likely even now standing in the doorway nibbling away at her bottom lip in worry.

"I already told you, what we were doing was exactly what it appeared to be, and if you bothered to take a step back from your high-over-protective-horse, you would see exactly what I mean." Even while nearly whispered, he still managed to growl the words out. Really, this was all taking away from his training, and he loathed interruptions.

Apparently taking a moment to think those words through, Neji stopped any sign of aggression altogether and spoke in a relatively calmer voice, compared to earlier anyways. "What exactly do you mean?"

Finally releasing his hold on Neji's arm, Sasuke took a step back and took that opportunity to peer toward the door, confirming his earlier thoughts that Hinata was indeed standing there, watching them both. And yes, there she was nibbling away at her bottom lip…why was he even noticing such things?

Focusing back on Neji, he kept his voice lowered while crossing his arms as though annoyed, which frankly, he was far beyond. "Your cousin's ability has the same weakness as yours, reliant upon sight."

Narrowing his own eyes, Neji almost mirrored Sasuke's stance by crossing his arms, yet he used the wall he was by to lean back against. "You do not need to state the obvious."

"Apparently I do. I can only copy a power in use, and she can only use her power by looking at someone." Arching a brow, the look on Neji's face seemed to say get on with the point. Sometimes geniuses really did have a hard time seeing the weakness in others, and while Sasuke didn't have much ground to stand on himself, at least he had noticed the flaws that needed fixing with Hinata! "How are we to make any hedge way if she's to shy to even look at me?" There, a simple question that should answer all of Neji's questions, right?

Apparently wrong. "Lady Hinata is extremely shy, so while I understand your question, I do not see why you are going through so much trouble to force her to look at you." Well at least he finally figured out what was actually going on. Resisting the urge to sigh or roll his eyes, Sasuke pressed on.

"It's her shyness that's keeping her so weak. If she can't handle looking at a guy, how will she ever be able to properly use her power? In case you've failed to notice, we're about half the world population, give or take a million. Do you really intend to have her remain so weak?"

"None of that matters. The moment Lady Hinata graduates, she'll return to the Hyuga estates and remain there for protection; we will keep her safe." Okay, now that actually upset him, and why Sasuke wasn't entirely certain. Yet he grabbed hold of any excuse he could and went with it.

"Keep her safe, by locking her away in a prison you mean. And don't even deny it won't be. Your family will never trust her to go out in the world, so you'll lock her away where no one can harm her and force her into a scenario that will be a prison to her. Do you honestly think she could survive it?" While those words seemed to hit a cord with Neji, his eyes narrowed once again on Sasuke.

"Why should any of that matter to you? You didn't even notice her until a few weeks ago." Alright, so he had him on that one, and while Sasuke would need to take a moment to think all that over later on, right now he focused on getting rid of Neji. So he went with a half truth.

For this, he did sigh and looked down the hall, avoiding eye contact with Neji for a moment. "Though I'm loath to admit this, I can't fully copy Hinata's power as it stands. Whatever mental block she's placed upon herself is ensuring that I can only duplicate her power as it stands. By making her stronger and more confident in herself, her own powers will begin to emerge in their true form."

"Of course, it's all about power with you Uchiha's." Aa, well it was mostly true, so while not a lie, at least it would get Neji to leave him alone, right?

"You of all people should know Neji I won't allow anything to interfere in my training." Finally looking the boy in the eyes again, Sasuke held Neji's eyes hoping to convey that very sentiment. While training, nothing would get in the way, not even emotions.

"Tch, I suppose I got ahead of myself." Taking a sudden step toward Sasuke, Neji got into his face once more, his eyes narrowed while he kept his voice low. "If however I find out you have hurt her in any way, I will return it tenfold." Ooo, now Sasuke was just shivering in his shorts.

Actually rolling his eyes, he watched as Neji returned to Hinata's side and bowed while apologizing. A few soft words were spoken than he was on is way, finally. Lifting his eyes to Hinata's own, he blinked and froze in his steps, uncertain by the look that she gave him.

There was an edge of pain, just as earlier, yet a hint of understanding, and while it kept him confused for only a brief moment, it quickly dawned on him; she'd been listening in to their thoughts instead of their words. Activating his eyes, he narrowed them in her direction.

'_Damnit Hinata, you weren't supposed to hear any of that!'_

'_I…I'm sorry! Yet I'm glad I did.'_

'_How was any of that good for you to hear?' _He recalled mentioning her weakness, and all but admitting to using her to get stronger. This was far more complicated than he'd ever imagined; how could anyone ever get away with lying to this girl?

'_They can't, and your words were comforting. I…had no idea my family intended to lock me away after graduation. I have plans you know, dreams…knowing what they intend, knowing how far they plan to go simply because I'm so weak is hurtful, but it's better that I hear this now right? I still have time, at least three years. If…if I can get myself strong enough to stand on my own, they won't be able to force me to stay home. Right?' _

Letting out a soft curse, Sasuke walked back to the room. With a gentle hand to her shoulder, he pushed her back into the room along with him and shut the door quietly, all the while keeping contact with her face.

'_I don't know Hinata, your family does things differently than anyone else, and even with your power at its full potential, you're still the only one in your family who currently has it. I can't make any assumptions on just what they'll do. You're probably right in thinking though that if you remain like this, you have no options at all. Getting stronger couldn't hurt, and if push comes to shove, you could always run away.' _Smirking, he gave her a rare playful wink before breaking eye contact and returning to where they were sitting. Noticing his shoes on the ground he pondered trying out another exercise, yet at the last moment rethought things.

Glancing in Hinata's direction, he raised his voice just enough to catch her attention. "Would you rather continue with the mental training, or attempt an exercise at avoiding distractions?"

Taken aback by the sudden question, Hinata jumped and Sasuke found himself once again staring as her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Oh, I…I think the m-mental exercise w-would be b-b-best."

"Aa…do I have to force you to pay attention again?" This time her face exploded in an array of reds as she dropped her eyes to her feet and squished her toes together.

"I…umm…I'd like to say n-no, b-b-but…." She trailed off only to start chewing on her bottom lip again, which forced a sigh to fall from Sasuke's lips. He should be annoyed with all of this, and for the life of him he couldn't understand why he wasn't yet.

"Hinata, look at me." Slowly she raised her face to lock eyes with him, and keeping his expression firm, Sasuke continued. "If you want to get stronger, you have to start with getting over your shyness. We all have things we don't enjoy, yet for the sake of survival, we do it."

"W-what…" While she seemed to have a question, or at least the way she chewed on her bottom lip seemed to imply she had one, she never did get on with asking it. This was a bit annoying, and really something he'd have to work on with her.

"What what Hinata?"

"Oh…I umm…was wondering what yours…is…?" Ah, that's what she was going on about. With a tiny smirk, he gave a slight shrug and looked at her as if to say what do you think? Yet to clarify, he also spoke up.

"I'm not a social person; not many Uchiha's are in fact. We have a few oddballs that are annoyingly social, yet most of us just…don't like people much." A soft oh from her direction almost cut him off, yet he had to explain fully what he meant. "However, in order to learn powers, and indeed memorize those we want, we have to get to know people. Be social…it's all very annoying really, and yet I can't avoid it. I don't let it rule me however." He paused to let those words sink in while taking a step closer and dropping his voice to an almost gentle decibel. "You don't have to stop being shy Hinata, or afraid of invading people's privacy. You just have to learn your limits, and how to get around any boundaries that need crossing. Besides, it can hardly be healthy if you can't handle looking at a guy in the face."

Blinking up at him, she rewarded him with a tiny smile and a slight nod. "I…want to try. But! Um, maybe you should sit a bit closer, just in case…it's hard staring at you while kn-n-nowing what you're th-thinking."

"Hn…good thing it's nothing perverted." A soft gasp escaped her as she looked toward him with obvious surprise.

"Sasuke!"

**~XDXDXDXD~**

Hearing a soft thud as someone sat down at the cafeteria table beside her, as well as the heavy tired sigh that followed, Sakura lifted her head only to blink rapidly in shock. Ino sat perfectly still, staring down at her dinner meal, yet it was the aura of exhaustion that emitted from her that was so shocking. In all the years Sakura had known her, she'd never seen Ino work herself to such a state that she looked to be nearly passing out even as she tiredly lifted a fork to play with her food. A quick glance across the table to Tenten confirmed she really was seeing this and that she wasn't alone in the shock.

"Umm, everything okay Ino?" It was Tenten that spoke up first and really Sakura could barely bring herself to speak yet. Ino's usually perfectly kept ponytail was in disarray, tiny wisps sticking out in nearly every direction, some even plastered to her forehead and while seeing a fellow female sweat wasn't exactly a shock, seeing Ino here in public like this was. Normally she would have gone back to her room, showered and changed, preferring to show up late and perfectly kept than to chance embarrassment.

A tiny groan escaped Ino's lips before she looked up to Tenten and narrowed her eyes slowly. "Your ex is insane." While that statement first confused Sakura, apparently Tenten caught on almost immediately and returned the look with a glare of her own.

"Ex being the key word there Ino; I dumped him for a reason. And I did warn you, you can't use your usual tactics on someone like Neji." Now Sakura started to slightly understand what was going on. Ino had a habit of manipulating guys since it was apparently so easy to do, and they always fell for it or so she said. From the looks of it, those same tactics hadn't worked or had backfired on her today. Slumping her shoulders, Ino closed her eyes in defeat as a tiny groan left her lips.

"Don't remind me…I've never met a man like him, well…besides Sasuke. Sasuke just ignores me though, which now that I'm looking at it I kinda miss simply being ignored."

"What did he do…well wait, first, what did YOU do?" Finally finding her voice again, Sakura rested an elbow on the table, her own meal momentarily forgotten as she peered toward her friend and waited for an answer. She might have been prone to tease her often, and the reserve said about Ino in return, yet they at least kept those to moments when teasing was allowed, or even appreciated. Right now was most certainly not a moment to start making fun of her.

"That's just it, nothing much! Ugh, I just didn't want to start off the first day so heavy, so I figured I could steer him elsewhere and I kind of reminded him of the room situation, and how Hinata would be well you know, sleeping in the same quarters as a guy and okay maybe I exaggerated in thinking there was a danger that she'd been stuck with a studio room, I mean honestly didn't he even see her rushing off to get rooms first? And he took off, disappeared into thin air! I figured that was it for the afternoon as far as he was concerned." Tenten had the most reaction, by groaning as she placed her head in both her hands and shook it slowly.

"You so did not attack him there. What were you thinking Ino?"

"I don't know, apparently I wasn't!"

Wincing, Tenten lifted her head and smiled a bit apologetically at her friend. "I probably should have included that when you asked me if you should know anything before hand. Neji…knows Hinata is his weakness, and he kinda hates anyone who uses that against him; sees it as a low blow, and Hyuga's have this thing against dishonourable actions. Worse yet, to have someone manipulate him through their powers and attacking him there…"

She never was able to finish however as Ino interrupted, lifting her hands in the air as if in defence of herself. "But that's just it! I didn't, use my powers I mean. I thought I'd have to, but all I did was…talk." That apparently shocked Tenten as she stared at the blonde in shock, and was that perhaps awe or jealousy twinkling in her eyes?

"You…on the first day of actually talking to the guy, you got him to do exactly what you wanted, and all you did was…talk? No powers? Seriously?"

Ino frowned a bit at that and shook her head slowly. "No."

Staring blankly at the blonde, Tenten spoke softly as her eyes grew distant for a moment. "I don't know how many times I tried getting him to do something; he never listened to me, in over two terms, not once…" While staring at the brunette, Sakura felt a momentary pang of pity and peered at Ino in worry. They both knew that the relationship between their friend and Neji hadn't been all the best, and that it had ended rather suddenly at Tenten's insistence. They also knew that since then Neji hadn't once acted as if there was bad blood between the two; if anything, he acted as though nothing had changed from before their sudden relationship. It was never easy to find out how little you meant to someone, even if they were in your past now.

After a few moments however, Tenten shook it off and narrowed her eyes while staring hard at Ino. "Never let him know that. With his ego and pride, he's most likely assuming you were using your power; I suggest you let him continue. If he acted badly because of what you did thinking you had used your power, imagine what he would do learning you can manipulate him so easily without any extra help?"

This time it was Ino that made a sound, groaning as she went to push her plate aside and rested her head on the table, letting her cheek lay upon the cold surface. "Don't remind me…he was gone for barely half an hour only to barge into our training room in a cold fury. Without even a word to me, he picked up some sticks, forcing us to train with me. Oh he never hurt me, just like he promised his precious cousin, but when one of those damn things keeps flying at your feet to trip you or toward her head, you have to react! And he wouldn't stop! Only the sound of my growling stomach finally let him up, and I can only hope his temper's finally gone…cause I got nothing more in me, nothing!"

Wrinkling her brows slightly, Sakura leaned over a bit and brushed some of Ino's hair back from her forehead, helping her friend out by smoothing what she could reach. "Well, you can always go back to your room and insist on rest; you can't be overworked especially-" She was suddenly interrupted by a loud bang as two hands came down on the table and an irate redhead leaned in, glaring at all three of them.

"We can't just let this continue!" Blinking rapidly, Sakura let her hand drop from Ino's head, who slowly sat up while all three of them turned toward Karin with arched brows.

"Uh, nice seeing you as well Karin, have a lovely day did you?" Small talking when the redhead was pissed always made the situation worse, yet Sakura couldn't resist. It was much to easy to upset Karin, and given her own day, she wanted to.

Glaring at her, Karin made a slightly disgusted sound. "I can't believe you're just sitting here chatting away…we can't let tonight happen! Do none of you understand?!" Ah, right, that thing again. Frankly, given her earlier encounter with Itachi, Sakura had oddly forgotten about the room arrangements, much to her surprise, and even now as she recalled she didn't find herself that upset. She knew nothing would happen, not here anyways, plus knowing Sasuke as well as she believed she did, he would never make moves on a girl while others could watch through cameras.

So she let out a soft sigh and shook her head. "Let it go Karin, there's nothing that can be done."

And truthfully, the reactions of everyone at the table were somewhat hilarious, as they all peered at her with wide eyes, a few mouths falling open in total shock. "Who are you and what have you done with my partner?" Blinking toward Tenten, Sakura sighed before shrugging slowly.

"Honestly, it's just not our biggest problem. It's not like he's sharing a room with Karin and we have to worry about her raping him at night; Hinata probably wont even speak to him most of the time, we all know how shy she is around guys."

While Ino gave a tiny nod in agreement and Tenten furrowed her brows, Karin threw her hands up in the air in outrage. "Not our biggest problem! Seriously just what the hell could be worse than this, and what do you mean I'd rape him? Please, he'd be eating out of my hand and you know it!"

A tiny spark of her usual self almost rose up to that challenge, but as she peered toward the rest of the table, the realization that she had to warn her friends of a greater danger came to the forefront. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she let it out slowly as she began speaking. "We have a new teacher, and he's already shown up. I kinda ran into him earlier."

Gasping, and yet making it sound as if she was disgusted, Karin finally took a seat and narrowed her eyes toward Sakura. "That is your bigger problem? A teacher you ran into? Oooo, oh no, whatever will we do! Focus Sakura, Sasuke is the problem!"

Ignoring her, Tenten leaned forward a bit as she stared intently toward her. "What's so bad about him?"

Frowning, Sakura actually grew nervous for a moment, not at her friends' reactions, but to actually speak his name. There were few people that had a reputation amongst everyone and while those reputations often ranged from heroic to terrifying, Itachi's was in a league of his own. He wasn't evil since he fought for their side, yet he often did what was necessary when no when else could or would. Worse yet was the rumours that he used his power upon people to teach them lessons he deemed necessary to learn, and the thought that HE was their teacher from now made a shiver run down her spine.

"Umm…it's Itachi…our new teacher is Itachi Uchiha."

…

…

The silence that followed her statement was almost deafening compared to the rest of the cafeteria, and so Sakura sat there waiting to see their reactions. She honestly expected them to not believe her, which Karin lived up to by starting to laugh.

"Oh seriously Sakura, that is the lamest joke I've heard yet! Like The Itachi would show up here to teach us? HA, we're nothing by peons to him. Honestly, come up with a better joke next time, something more believable!"

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura simply stared toward her for a silent moment, letting her have her say. It was Ino that spoke in a soft voice that sounded as if it was torn between being awed and terrified. "You're serious?"

Peering toward her blonde friend, Sakura nodded gravely while opening her mouth to respond.

"Gossiping about me already Miss Haruno? Nice to know you live up to certain expectations." And Sakura's face drained of any and all colour, a look that was quickly matched by all three of her friends as they peered behind her to the origin of her voice. She didn't have to turn around however, for although she'd only ever spoken with him once, his voice was forever engrained into her mind.

Could this day get any worse? Why did he always have to catch her when she was making a fool of herself one way or another? Politely, though extremely slowly, she turned around and peered up at the older, completely terrifying man and spoke in as loud a voice as she could manage, which came out as barely more than a whisper if she was honest with herself.

"It…..Mr. Uchiha, I wasn't gossiping per say, merely informing my friends of our new teacher. Surely that's allowed!"

"Hn."


	11. Problem Revealed

**A/N**: Yay, tried to keep this within a week and while it may be off by oh...a few hours, it's within a week!

Okay so some things are explained in this chapter...while others may not be. If you have any confusion, rest assured it's all fully explained next chapter so don't worry!

And a quick note, while I try to keep everyone as in character as I can, especially considering this is an AU and each character has different life experiences, I don't actually bash or hate any character. Those that may seem annoying, will eventually grow...or so I hope. What started out to be a not so long story is turning out to be...probably long. Sigh...I can only hope you all stick with me for it all!

Enjoy! This one's entirely from Hinata's point of view!

* * *

><p>Picking up her tray which consisted of a light meal, a chicken salad accompanied with a drink, Hinata paused to peer around the cafeteria hoping to spot her friends. Their afternoon of training had finally ended, and while she wasn't physically exhausted, mentally Hinata couldn't wait till she could retire and shut down.<p>

Sasuke wasn't that far ahead of her, and yet as she spotted her friends she decided to head in that direction without a polite goodbye. She would be seeing him after super anyways, right? She wasn't, however expecting him to suddenly stop right in front of her. Skidding to her own stop, she made quick work of insuring nothing fell off her tray while barely catching the soft intake of breath coming from the boy in front of her.

"Itachi." The first time it was whispered as though in awe, and Hinata was quite certain no one was supposed to even hear it. Not wanting to interfere in a matter that was obviously not her own, she quietly began making her way toward her friends while avoiding him. It was then that she noticed the error in her thinking however, because standing behind Sakura was an older man, and while she didn't personally know him he did bare a striking resemblance to Sasuke.

Her partner had presumably recovered for he made quick work of catching up and passing her on the way to that table, only this time when he spoke the name of the stranger, it came out as a slightly irritated growl. "_Itachi_."

This Itachi caught on finally, his attention leaving the table as he peered toward Sasuke, an eyebrow arching just slightly in what Hinata could have sworn was humour, yet there was nothing else on his face to suggest it; the man was otherwise emotionless. "Sasuke." Taking all of this as her chance to escape, Hinata slipped around them and joined her friends at their table; she did however miss the brief moment when Itachi peered toward her as well as Sasuke's reaction as he stepped into his brother's more direct line of sight.

"What are you doing here Itachi?"

Returning his attention to his brother, Itachi tilted his head slightly to one side. "Now is that any way to speak to a teacher?"

Setting down her tray quietly, Hinata slid into a chair as silently as she could, yet lifted her head at the mention of teacher. Wait, they had a new teacher? By the way Sasuke had suddenly blanched, that wasn't at all good either.

"Oi, bastard, what are you doing over here?!" Her eyes widening, Hinata ducked her head down even as she recognised Naruto's voice calling out to Sasuke. With her head down, she couldn't see the boys' reaction, but she did hear the heavy sigh that he slowly gave.

"Not now moron."

"And why the hell not huh?" She never saw what happened, yet after a brief moment of silence Naruto spoke again, only this time instead of sounding angry, she could have sworn he sounded confused. Than again, with her inability to look at guys when they spoke, she had grown quite good at guessing what the tone of someone's voice entailed of their emotional state. "Who the hell is this dweeb….heh, he looks just like you bastard!"

Her eyes widening, Hinata placed hands over her mouth to keep the squeak she had wanted to make from escaping. Did Naruto really just call Sasuke's brother a….dw-w-w-eeb? Oh dear.

A heavy sigh came from Sasuke's direction, before the sound of something being hit followed as Sasuke growled a soft "Moron."

"Ow! Hey bastard, what the hell was that for?!" Lifting her eyes, Hinata frowned worriedly as she noticed Naruto rubbing the back of his head. So Sasuke had hit him there, and yet while she normally appalled unwarranted violence, he had just called Sasuke's brother a name, in front of Itachi no less. She joined in with everyone else as they all held their breath, waiting for Itachi's reaction to the comment. Not surprisingly, Naruto was the only one unaware of the danger he could be in.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I believe I have something you wanted earlier." That caught all of their attention, mostly in confusion, and perhaps a little bit worry for some anyways.

"Wha…" Naruto trailed off for a moment, also confused, until Itachi pulled out a card key from one of his pockets. His eyes widened suddenly and a hand shot out as he rudely pointed toward the older Uchiha. "Ah! You, you're the one that took the bastard's key! Damnit I want it back!" Unaware of the danger all this posed, he moved to shoot toward the key holder. Before Itachi could get any type of word or action in, Sasuke, still frowning, intervened by grabbing hold of Naruto's collar and forcing him to stay put.

"What key?" He let the words out in a soft growl, his patience obviously growing thin with the situation.

Hinata watched as Naruto first continued to glare at Itachi, only to blink rapidly for a moment as his own words dawned upon him. Growing sheepish, a hand lifted to the back of his head as he ran it nervously through his hair and he peered toward Sasuke, giving a soft laugh before he began. "Ah well you know…I was scheduled to come by your training room today…only this guy here!" His hand shot out once again to point at Itachi, whose only reaction was to raise a brow slightly in either boredom, or amusement; Hinata couldn't decide. "He took it and worse yet, apparently he has it the whole time we're here!"

Wait…Sasuke's training room was hers as well…her eyes widening slowly, Hinata glanced toward the older man in shock, and perhaps a bit of trepidation. Why did he have their key? She wasn't alone in that reaction as Sasuke slowly let go of Naruto's shirt and peered at his older brother. Opening his mouth to speak, he must have rethought those words for instead he just shook his head and merely turned away. As Naruto opened his mouth to once again yell at Itachi, Sasuke grabbed hold of the back of his shirt and began pulling him away, grumbling quietly about the "idiot keeping his stupid mouth shut while he still lives."

Four sets of eyes turned back toward Itachi in curiosity, as well as silently hoping he would now walk away as well. While no questions were answered, their hope was answered as the man turned and walked off without a word to any of them. Letting out a soft sigh, torn between relief and worry over what was revealed, Hinata glanced down at her salad and missed the glare Sakura shot after the retreating older Uchiha.

"Okay, so with all that over **now** can we return to the real issue here girls?" It was Karin speaking, and as Hinata lifted her head a bit to frown, confused what she was referring to, everyone else at the table softly groaned.

"Seriously Karin, are you still going on about that? Give it a rest, there's nothing that can be done, and honestly Hinata's _here_ now." That made her blink and frown slightly, wondering if it meant they had been talking about her earlier. It was quite possible, yet the way the girls reacted made it sound as if Karin had been badmouthing her, which wasn't possible…right?

"All the more reason to get on with this conversation. I can't believe any of you! We have to do something to stop tonight from happening…Hinata is going to be sleeping next door to Sasuke!" Yet again blinking, Hinata lifted her eyes to peer at Karin directly, and after a brief look into the redhead's thoughts, she relaxed gradually. Ah, so that's what she was on about. Well at least someone was concerned about it.

"Ugh, we know that already Karin and we all agree nothing with happen." Sakura had spoken up, and while it was nice of her, Hinata frowned down at her salad. It was Tenten that finally caught of as one of her hands came down to slap the tabletop.

"Oh shit! Hinata's sleeping next door to Sasuke."

"Yeah," Karin rolled her eyes only to glare at Tenten. "That's only what I've been saying this whole time."

Ignoring the redhead, Tenten looked to the other two still clueless girls and repeated herself, this time emphasizing the important words. "_Hinata _is _sleeping_ next door to _Sasuke_."

Watching quietly, the girl in question couldn't help but be amused at the facial expressions on her friends as realization slowly dawned upon Sakura and than Ino's faces. The pinkette widened her eyes before cursing softly and quickly focusing on Hinata. The blonde however had a different reaction, for while her eyes did widen, her hands also flung to cover her mouth as she began repeating "Oh my gawd" over and over again.

"I'm so sorry Hinata, all this time and I forgot…are you gonna be okay? Have you ever even…slept near a guy before?" It was Sakura that spoke to her with gentle concern, but it was Karin that interrupted.

"Like it matters if she had! They were all family, ie, Hyuga's. I wouldn't doubt it if they have the best control over their own dreams, better than anyone else anyways. The problem is that this is Sasuke…a seventeen year old boy that as far as any of our information goes, hasn't been near a girl in at least months! Think of what his repressed mind might conjure up in dreams!"

Blinking in confusion, Hinata stared at the redhead as Tenten groaned softly. "More like your mind…Karin, this **is** Sasuke we're talking about. His focus has always been on training, not whatever it is you're imagining. I highly doubt he'll be much of a problem…will you stop already Ino! What's wrong?"

This whole time Ino had sat there, her hands still covering her mouth as she softly repeated those three words. While at first it had been a curious reaction, apparently Tenten had lost patience with the girl so she had snapped, hoping to force the blonde out of it. All three girls suddenly looked at the blonde causing her to jump out of it, literally and figuratively as she glanced around the table slowly. In the end, her eyes fell upon Hinata, and they were sad, worried…and a little frightened?

"It's just, I forgot until now…and I'm pretty sure Hinata did too." Frowning, Hinata peered on in confusion. While she could have dug into her friend's mind to simply find out what Ino meant, instead she dropped her eyes and waited for an explanation for everyone; it was only polite to do so.

"When we got off the buses, Hinata only just then remembered about the room situation. Not long after Sasuke approached her about getting a room, and I'm pretty sure she was so flummoxed that she rushed off to get one before everyone else, am I right?"

Nodding slowly, Hinata agreed. She had been terrified upon first hearing she would be sharing a room with Sasuke, and having the boy approach her had simply thrown her into more terror and confusion. How could the teachers allow such situations to occur? In the end however, she'd grabbed her luggage and raced to get a room for them, being one of the first to pick a room even, which explained their prime choice.

Ino however was frowning even more now. "I had a lot of luggage, so Neji insisted he'd pick out both rooms while I stayed behind. When I finally got inside I was nearly last. I didn't actually have to look at the list, but honestly, I was curious how you lucked out. I should have noticed right then, I'm so sorry Hinata! You might have had time to rush back and change things…." Okay that sounded bad.

Lifting her eyes, Hinata peered questioningly at her friend. "Wh-what's wrong Ino?"

Letting out a tiny sigh, she slumped forward a bit. "You forgot to wait to pick out your room till everyone else had Hinata." It was only one sentence which didn't really answer her question, and yet it revealed so much to everyone.

Eyes widening, Hinata straightened completely as her body went rigid. "I…oh no! I f-f-forgot…w-w-wh-wh-whattt aaam," Stopping, Hinata closed her eyes and tried to get a hold of herself. Her stutter wasn't always bad, but in times of fear it tended to make itself known with a vengeance of sorts and right now definitely qualified as a scary situation, at least for her! So taking a deep breath, she spoke each word carefully, silently thankful for her friends that remained quiet till she got the words out. They understood her need to get them out, even if they already knew what she wanted to say. "What. Am. I. G-going. To. Do?"

Having finally gotten it out, her eyes opened pleadingly toward Ino before glancing at her three other friends.

Karin flung her attention to Ino quickly. "Did you catch any of the names of those in the rooms around her?" Even as she said it though, most of the girls knew it was futile. Every girl in their dorm would have known and picked rooms further away from Hinata, and while those in the second dorm didn't have to deal with it, they most likely had over heard the rumours. If anyone had picked a room near hers and Sasuke because of its prime location, they were most likely male. The thought made Hinata whimper as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"No, I didn't…like I said I wasn't really paying attention to that. But I know some rooms were taken…oh, if only I'd noticed!" Ino didn't have the same problem as Hinata, yet her power also dealt with the mind. Being able to manipulate people without them even knowing it had caused people to be weary around her, and somehow that had caused the blonde to sympathize with Hinata. It was also one of her many reasons for defending the quieter girl whenever anyone accused her of using her power unfairly. Mind users had to stick together in her opinion, and today she had just failed in that very belief.

Lifting her head, Hinata smiled weakly before reaching out to take hold of Ino's hand and giving it a tiny squeeze. "It's n-not your fault Ino. I sh-should have p-paid closer attention." While the two smiled sadly at each other, Karin and Sakura exchanged looks.

Having come to some sort of silent understanding, Sakura stood with determination. "Well that settles it, come on everyone."

Blinking to attention, Hinata peered up with a tiny frown; she hadn't even touched her salad yet.

"Wait, what?" Tenten piped up, her own fork promptly sticking into a tiny potato. "I haven't finished eating yet…whatever it is, can't it wait five minutes or something?"

Peering around the table slowly, Sakura gave a tiny shy laugh as she sat back down slowly. "Alright…we'll go when everyone's done eating."

**~XDXDXDXD~**

"So, where are we going again?" Having all of them placed their now empty trays on a rack, they followed Sakura out of the cafeteria. While briefly Hinata recalled needing to meet up with Sasuke afterwards, this certainly was a priority. Besides, she highly doubted that any of her friends would let her walk away when the matter at hand concerned her and her alone.

"First, we speak with Kurenai. We can't just get our hands on the room listing now, so we need a teacher's permission to look. Plus, I've been thinking of all the teachers, she may understand the situation. Worse comes to worse, she may let Hinata take that drug again. I mean, it wasn't effective for long term usage, but we're only here for two weeks, so it should help. At least I hope so."

Chewing on her bottom lip, Hinata silently followed along even as she dreaded mention of said drug. When she had first arrived, sleeping around so many strangers had caused problems, problems the staff attempted to fix with a 'sleeping drug'. While it had knocked her out and had certainly helped in the dream situation, it had drawbacks she had only ever spoken about with Kurenai. For the most part she was too far into sleep to slip out into other's dreams, yet once in awhile a dream would make it through. Or to be more precisely, her mind would make it out to that dream. In a normal situation, she would have caught on immediately and backed out, only catching minor glances of the dream. The drug however had dulled her senses entirely, causing her to actually remain trapped in the dream until it ended. She was thankful for that occurrence only happening three times during the trail run, but it was also the sole reason they had decided to stop using the drug altogether. All three dreams had been nightmares, and from Kurenai's best assumption, it was because they were so powerful subconsciously that they had been able to call to her mind even in her deeper sleep. Distance had worked to keep her out of dreams much more effectively than any drug had.

Except she wouldn't always be able to sleep away from people, she'd have to learn how to control herself even as she slept. Her shoulders slumped as she realized she really did have a long way to go.

Lost in her own silent thoughts, Hinata didn't particularly pay attention as their little group made their way to the teacher's cafeteria, nor did she notice as Sakura and Karin got a hold of Kurenai. It was only when their teacher and dorm Mistress stepped into the hallway that Hinata snapped back to attention, smiling shyly up at the older woman.

Said woman crossed her arms slowly as she peered down with her odd blood red eyes and tried not to smile. "I certainly wasn't expecting to have you four bothering me so soon. Well, what seems to be the trouble Sakura?"

While she listened to her friend explained what they'd all discovered earlier, Hinata nervously pressed her two pointer fingers together. She was loath to ask for yet more help, after all she was always in some way or form failing, and yet this particular instance was not something she could just buck up and attempt to ignore. Dealing with Sasuke's dreams would be difficult enough, yet knowing there would be others around her? Knowing who wouldn't change anything, but at least she might be prepared…right?

"Oh Hinata…sweetie I'm sorry, you know I can't change your room assignments now that they're final." Lifting her head, Hinata opened her mouth to defend herself, yet it was Karin that interrupted it. Hinata wasn't annoyed exactly, after all her own attempt to explain would have likely taken twice as long. It was just that while the action was appreciated, on some level it merely pointed out to Hinata how hopeless she really was.

"That's not why we're here Kurenai, we all know they can't be changed. But we thought that maybe if she knew who was around her, she could try to be prepared somehow. Also, we needed to see if you had any of that sleeping drug in case she needed any again." At the mention of the drug, Kurenai peered toward Hinata with a small worried frown, however she left that to be dealt with another time.

Instead she nodded slowly and motioned the girls to follow along. "There's no harm in you knowing, and this time I'll even make an excuse in letting your friends see the list as well. They'll probably be of some help in deciphering which dreams you will want to get out of the quickest. Come along, the list was put into the database earlier today."

**~XDXDXDXD~**

Hinata chewed nervously on her bottom lip nearly thirty minutes later as Kurenai sat in front of a computer screen. It had taken them a bit of awhile to track down someone for the front office, seeing as it was past supper and most of them had gone off to eat. While the security rooms were always kept fully attended, the front office only had someone in attendance during the afternoon. During the remainder of the day apparently they wandered the facility making it difficult to be located quickly. Whatever it was they really did, Hinata wasn't entirely certain.

What she did know is that it had taken them far to long to find someone, and now she had gone from merely anxious to down right frightful, hence the previously mentioned chewing of her bottom lip. By the time the day was out it would probably begin bleeding, much to her dismay.

"Okay, here we go." Leaning in, Hinata paid closer attention as Kurenai finally brought up the room listings. She found her room number quickly enough, as well as her friends it appeared for it was Sakura that gasped first, while Karin had referred to a loud groan as her head fell into her hand. Neither reactions appeared good, and as her eyes glanced at the names of those around her Hinata began to see why.

She wasn't so naïve that she did not know how some boys minds were more perverted than others, and yet how was it that she had ended up in this situation? Three of the most perverted boys in their entire school was on the same hallway as she was, two of whom were Kiba and Suigetsu! She could barely manage their thoughts any given day…how…what kind of dreams did they have?

Her hands flew to her face as she softly whimpered, her eyes closing. Yet out of all reactions, it was Kurenai's that shocked them all, causing Hinata to straighten as her eyes snapped open again.

"Oh hell no…!"

Blinking in shock, Hinata merely stared as Tenten leaned forward a bit with a worried frown. "Kurenai? Umm…"

"That…" She trailed off, taking a deep breath to presumably calm her nerves. "Dealing with a teenage boys dream is certainly troublesome, and I can't say I'd wish that on anyone, especially someone as sweet as you Hinata. But this…I'm going to have to talk to him specifically." She stood up, leaving all four girls confused as three of them peered back at the monitor to see what she meant. Hinata was in too much of a shock over her circumstances to really look, but it was Ino's soft gasp as she lifted a hand to point at a name on the screen that caught everyone's attention. Hinata leaned in, finally curious, while the other two peered at whoever it was that Ino had finally noticed.

Kakashi Hatake, their hall monitor.

Hinata blinked rapidly as Tenten groaned, Sakura slapped her hands to her head and Karin just stared at the screen in shock. It was Ino that turned toward Hinata and placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "Kurenai's right…the guys are one thing, but him…"

Only Hinata was blinking in confusion, so she looked at the girls with a frown, entirely unclear of what the problem was. "What…I don't understand. Kakashi is nice, why should I be so worried?"

Ino stood stock still, shocked, while Karin straightened up with a tiny laugh. "Oh sweet innocent girl…how can the only girl that can literally reads a man's mind be the only person here not to know about his obsession?"

"W-what?" Again Hinata blinked, even more confused. It was Sakura that came to her now, taking hold of her shoulders and leaning in a bit to speak softly.

"Haven't you ever seen him reading those books all the time? He like never puts them down, ever." This was about reading, really?

"Well…yes, but I fail to see the problem…" Sakura cut her off, realizing the problem right away.

"Have you ever looked at the titles of those books?" Well no, why would she? It wasn't for her to interfere in other's business, and what a man wanted to read on his own time, or whenever he felt was his own time, was really well his own business. So she shook her head, earning her a sigh, and a groan from one of her friends.

"Among other things, he's addicted to the Icha Icha series." Again it was Sakura that explained things to her, yet still Hinata was confused.

"The what?"

"Ugh…" Slumping a bit, Sakura suddenly leaned forward and hugged Hinata, patting her on the back with one hand. Softly she murmured into Hinata's shoulder. "How you've remained this naïve is a miracle…"

Well now, she wasn't so certain she liked hearing that. Was it really so bad to be naïve about certain things? And honestly, what WAS wrong with those books?

Straightening up, Sakura took a deep breath before finally explaining things. "It's a romance book, for adults, or more precisely, men. To put it frankly, it's porno in words."

Oh…"W-W-W-WHAT!" She hadn't meant to squeak the word that loudly, yet as her face bloomed into a deep red, so many other implications fell into place. Kakashi obviously had a some what perverted mind, and while Hinata had never dared look into it, come night fall….

What was it Kurenai had said? A boy was one thing, but…but Kakashi wasn't a boy. Whatever dreams he might have, perverted or otherwise, wouldn't be on the same level as Kiba or Suigetsu. Or at least that was what Kurenai had implied.

"Whoa, Hinata…you okay there?!" The question came even as black started to encroach on her vision. She barely even registered the shock and worry that crossed over her friends' faces, her eyes promptly rolling to the back of her head as she overheated, and fainted.

Luckily Sakura was close enough to catch her, not that Hinata would ever know. She'd wake up some time later, safely back in her own room, blissfully alone. Lying comfortably on her bed with her shoes having been removed, it took her some time to recall what had happened and a moment longer to figure out why she was even here. Her peace remained only until reality came crashing back, and this time her reaction wasn't to faint, it was to scream.


End file.
